The Boy Behind The Mask
by IAmTheBrovahkiin
Summary: Hiccup had no choice: It was only a matter of time until the Vikings of Berk discovered his best kept secret- his Night Fury, Toothless. He makes the bold decision to fake his own death and leave his home for good. But even he can't deny the truth: You can only run from your problems for so long, they will always catch you in then end.. Rated High-T for gore/adult situations (HxOC)
1. Something Crazy!

The Lone Rider

"I can't do it." Hiccup mumbled as he stumbled through the empty paths that weaved in between the huts and houses of Berk. Any sane person would be fast asleep at this hour of the night, but not Hiccup, he had far too much on his mind. It has been about two weeks since he joined Dragon Training, and with each day his fear of killing a Dragon was getting him increasingly close to getting himself killed. Hiccup brushed his long brown hair out of his eyes and stared out at the full moon that hung suspended over the crystal clean ocean. Berk had everything that the boy wasn't: a tightly knit band of Vikings, who thought every problem ever known, could be solved with the swing of a hammer of axe. Almost every night he dreamed of being free, to be out _there_, where wouldn't have to worry about Vikings mocking him, and his father regretting him.

A dream that was now entirely possible, thanks to his Dragon, Toothless.

Hiccup's Night Fury also shared his desire for adventure and exploration. He would always want to just keep on flying, to not stop and to never return to Berk. It was times like these when Hiccup fantasied about such a situation: to leave Berk on the back of his Dragon, leaving faces of shock and awe, to fly farther than any Hooligan had ever traveled before and to start a new life, maybe even a new tribe. He also imagined how his father would feel, how his shock and anger would soon turn to pride as he realized his 'useless' son had the courage to ride the most dangerous Dragon ever known. He also thought about telling them all the truth, that Dragons and Vikings can co-exist, even work together. Hiccup came to a stop by a large tree on the outskirts of the village, slumping down against it. Who was he kidding? How could he convince these people that Dragons weren't what they thought they were? He new the truth all too well, soon enough they would realize how he'd gotten so good in the ring, and he'd be named a traitor and an Outlaw. After staring at the stars for what seemed like an eternity, Hiccup got up and walked deeper and deeper into the forest. Toothless mattered to him more than ever now, and knew he would manage at least a _little_ sleep by his side.

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup eventually found himself in the grove where Toothless slept. The moonlight revealed the distinct outline of a Dragon resting besides an overhanging tree.

"Hey bud, you sleeping there?" Hiccup asked, breaking into a short yawn. Toothless gave no response, just a steady purr he often gave when he was scratched under the neck. "Come on, I know you're in there" Hiccup smiled as he gently nudged his friend. Toothless finally woke up, opening his deep green eyes and staring at the boy in a confused state. "Yeah, sorry I woke you, I couldn't sleep again", Toothless gently hit his friend over the head with his half-tail. "It's not my fault!" Hiccup protested, rubbing the spot he was hit, "I can't sleep knowing I might have to kill a Monstrous Nightmare". Toothless looked at him for a second, and then up at the star filled sky.

"**Why don't we leave?"**

"I know, I know. We should leave before this gets out of hand." Hiccup sat down against Toothless and let his heat warm him up. "But maybe if I let Astrid win this next battle then I won't have to kill the Dragon". The Dragon placed his head on Hiccup's lap, making that same purring sound he did earlier. "I reckon we should make a tribe of our own, Toothless. I'll be the chief and everyone will ride Dragons, we won't need boats to travel and I can finally have some well-earned respect!" The more Hiccup thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. He didn't want to become chief, not in Berk or anywhere for that matter, he wasn't cut out for that kind of responsibility. "If we leave, you think we'll survive out there? I mean, how will we live?" Toothless nudged Hiccup's belt, where his small dagger rested in its hilt.

"**You could learn to use that thing, for a change."**

"Yeah yeah, I admit I'm lacking when it comes to fighting" Hiccup stood up and took out his dagger, pretending to strike down imaginary foes in the near-darkness. Toothless let out a frustrated groan, burying his head in the cold soil.

"**You need some serious practice, and soon."**

"Do you judge everyone you meet like this?" Hiccup frowned, sheathing his blade and sitting facing his friend. "Okay Toothless, I think I've got a plan:" The Dragon's ears perked up as his companion explained. "I'll make preparations for us to leave Berk. Ill get myself a new weapon, a _real _weapon that I can hold my own with in a fight. My Dad will be home in the next few days, I hope he doesn't show for my test against Astrid" Hiccup shuddered at the thought, in the past week tensions between those two had gone from bad to worse, especially with Hiccup's success in the Kill Ring. "If Astrid is the victor, we're in luck. We can take our time and make sure that we leave without suspicion. _If I win, however…" _Hiccup lay down flat and took a deep breath. "Then we run. We run and we never come back."

o~0~O~0~o

"Well! If it isn't the legendary Dragon master! Too busy to show up to work, aye?" Gobber joked as his apprentice staggered into the workshop. It was obvious that Hiccup hadn't slept much the previous night, heavy bags rested under his dark green eyes and his posture slouched even more than usual.

"Hello to you too, Gobber" he muttered, standing next to the forge to try to warm up. The boy slept next to Toothless the night before, hoping his presence would put him at ease. Much to his surprise, the opposite happened; his Dragon's snoring was deafening, and the grove was freezing beyond belief

"Rough night there, boy? You look like a mess!"

"Yeah, I don't..." Hiccup let out a loud yawn, "… think I slept at all last night"

"That's a shame, lucky you've got a couple more days 'til your next fight." Gobber put down the sword he was sharpening and faced the boy. "So, you here to do some work, or ya here on business?"

"Business, I guess. I'm looking for a new weapon, a proper one this time" Gobber's eyes lit up, a smile crossing his bearded face. "Something larger than my dagger, but not something that'll slow me down". The one-handed blacksmith grabbed Hiccup by the shoulder and let him further into the shop.

"I remember me first proper weapon" He grinned "A two-handed axe that my 'ol man gave me after my first Dragon kill. I called her 'Valkyrie' and by Thor, you should 'a seen the steel she was forged from." Gobber pointed at several large weapon racks, stocked with tools and gear. "The shop's overflowin' with stuff these days. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for around here, if you see anything you like or wanna try out, give me a holler". Gobber soon returned to his work at the grindstone, leaving his young apprentice to search through the dozens of swords, axes and maces the place had to offer.

o~0~O~0~o

It didn't take long for Hiccup to completely loose track of time. He insisted on trying out every single weapon available, from the tiny wood hatchets to the colossal Great-swords and Halberds. Hiccup wasn't just choosing a weapon to fight with, this was a weapon he would live with, survive with and fly with. The weapon had to suit his needs in every way. It couldn't just be good, it had to be _perfect_.

But that perfect weapon never came.

By late afternoon, Hiccup had tried every weapon Gobber owned, leaving his arms exhausted and his body covered in small cuts. He was terrified that if- _when_ he ran away, he would only have his dagger to rely on, he couldn't have Toothless around to protect him forever, could he?

"Any luck, lad?" Gobber asked over the constant clanging of his hammer.

"No even slightly, Gobber" Hiccup shook his head, collapsing into a chair beside his old friend. "They're all great weapons, really. They just don't suit me, y'know?"

"Aye, I know how ya feel. But, what are you looking for exactly?"

"I don't know! All these weapons are a bit too… bulky. I want something large, yet I don't want to loose any of my speed. How can a person like _me_ haul around one of those hammers into every fight?" Gobber stared back at Hiccup, thinking about what he could use with that fishbone body of his.

"Hmmm. Tell you what, Trader Johann should be arriving tomorrow. He's got all that foreign gear, and whatnot. If I see anything you might like, ill bring it back here for ya". Hiccup grinned at the thought, coming back here tomorrow to find a stash of exotic and beautiful weapons that he could master and use on his adventures.

"I like the sound of that, Gobber" He gave the one-handed Viking a pat on the shoulder and left through the shop entrance, "I'll be back here around midday, catch 'ya later!" Hiccup began a light jog on his way back to the forest. The sun was beginning to set over Berk and he couldn't wait to be back in the sky with Toothless.

"Oi Toothpick!" Someone yelled from behind him. Hiccup cursed under his breath, it wasn't hard to figure out who could be annoyed with him at this point in time. He turned around to face a furious looking girl around his age, holding a large axe in her hands.

"Oh, hey Astrid, I was just heading down for some, y'know, practise and stuff." Hiccup knew he wasn't getting out of this easily, so all he could do was just stare at the ground and hope that it wouldn't take too long.

"Listen here, _Hiccup_" She spat out his name as if it was a rotten piece of fish, "you may have all these people fooled, but not me". Astrid stared at the cuts and grazes that covered Hiccup and let out a short snicker, "I'll find out how you're getting so good. And when I do" She turned and headed back the way she came from, "Everyone will see the truth about you, that you're nothing but a trickster and a liar", she turned around the corner and was gone in an instant. For a brief moment Hiccup just stood there, unable how to react to someone saying that. Was she really _that_ jealous of his newfound skills? Or could she actually have an idea of what was really going on? He eventually pushed those thoughts aside, and continued jogging; he knew thinking about them wouldn't get him any place happy.

o~0~O~0~o

"How'd it go, Astrid?" Snotlout asked as the fierce shield-maiden returned to the group of teenagers.

"Not as I'd hoped. He wasn't carrying anything suspicious, all he had on him was that little dagger" She stood in-between the twins and let out a deep breath. "He was covered in cuts through, could have something to do with his training" She mused.

"Guys, why are we doing this?" Fishlegs asked, clearly nervous about defying Astrid. "Don't you think spying on Hiccup is wrong? Even if we discover how he's gotten so good?"

"He's kinda right, Astrid" Ruffnut said "I mean, what if it's not all a trick and he really knows his way around the Dragons-"

"You're wrong, both of you" Astrid snapped "Everyone knows he's weak and useless. There's no way he gets that good in a matter of weeks." She stared menacingly at the group. "We're going to get to the bottom of this. And I'm going to remind all of Berk who the best Dragon-slayer really is". She stormed off back to her house, leaving the remaining trainees in a slightly shocked state.

"You really think he's hiding something?" Snotlout raised an eyebrow

"He probably is. But Astrid is just over exaggerating" Fishlegs replied, "I Reckon Stoick just gave him a lesson or two before he left for Helheim's Gate".

"Y'know, we _could _run into the forest now and catch up with Hiccup to see what he's doing" The twins both flashed each other a mad grin before turning to run.

"No! Don't do it!" Snotlout and Fishlegs yelled at once. Ruffnut and Tuffnut both turned to face the boys.

"Why can't we? I'm sure we could find him by nightfall" Tuffnut said with an annoyed expression.

"I'm sure we could, Tuffnut." Snotlout retorted "What do you think Astrid would do to you?"

"Hate to admit it, but Snotlout is right" Fishlegs added "If there is something in there, making Hiccup as good as he is, Astrid wants to be the one who uncovers it".

o~0~O~0~o

"Okay bud, ready for another flight?" Hiccup grinned as he approached the Night Fury by the lake. Toothless looked up from the water and squinted at the human.

"**What the Hel happened to you?"**

"Oh, you mean these?" Hiccup pointed at the many small marks on his arms, "Yeah I decided to try out some of those weapons i forged in Gobber's shop. Turns out I'm not that good with a spiked mace". Toothless rolled his eyes and lowered himself so Hiccup could jump on. "How about we avoid separating from each other in this time?" The last time Hiccup flew with Toothless, he lost his cheat-sheet while flying, and nearly killed himself and his Dragon in the process.

"**Agreed, now let's get going"** Toothless snorted happily, before shooting out of the tree line.

"Oh gods- YES" Hiccup yelled as the duo soared into the afternoon sky. Hiccup felt his troubles abandon him the second his Dragon left the ground, all that was left was true happiness. After several hours of flying around Berk's many landforms, Toothless and his rider were left high above the ocean, staring down a magnificent sunset. "Wow, would 'ya look at that" He breathed, giving his Dragon a good scratch along the neck. "I swear we'll be out there soon. No more Vikings, no more abuse, and no more Dragon Training. It'll just be you, me and a whole world full of adventures". Toothless grunted in return, showing off his signature smile.

"**I like the sound of that!"**

"I knew you'd enjoy the sound of that" Hiccup grinned. Below him he could see several ships sailing for Berk. It was clear that all the ships were unarmed, most likely on a trading route. Toothless gave a deep chortling sound, as if to laugh.

"**Want to have some fun, Hiccup?"**

"I really hope you're thinking what I'm thinking" He grinned, "C'mon bud, lets show them what we're made of!" Toothless let out a roar of joy, before plummeting down towards the sea. "How 'bout we give those boats a nice fly-by. That outta impress them!" Toothless' wings began to make a banshee-like scream as the wind moved past them at incredible speeds. Within only a few seconds of flying straight down, people on board the boat began to see and hear the infamous Dragon.

"Is that what I think it is?" A Viking asked dumbly. Soon enough all eyes were on the beast as it flew straight towards them.

"NIGHT FURY! Get down!" Another yelled instinctively. None of the people on the ships had witnessed the power of this Dragon, but the rumours that surrounded it were more than enough evidence to be scared. Every Viking in the trading fleet hit the floor and covered there ears, praying to Odin that the beast would spare them or miss its shot. For several intense seconds they waited for their deaths to greet them, but nothing happened.

"What the- no way!" People watched in a mix of awe and horror as the Night Fury pulled out of its steep dive and flew over the boats in a stylish barrel-roll. Jaws dropped and eyes widened as each and every Viking made out the small figure of a man on the back of the Dragon. Toothless stared down at flashed a mischievous grin at the shocked faces, before launching him and his rider back into the deep orange clouds.

"That was amazing!" Hiccup howled like a wolf once they were clear of the trade boats, "Beard of Thor, did you see the looks on their faces?" Toothless smiled back at his friend, sharing his excitement.

"**I sure did, it's not everyday you catch someone riding a dragon"** Hiccup lay down on his back as the Night Fury cruised through the clouds.

"Wow, we shouldn't have done that." He chuckled, shaking his head "What would we do if they recognised me?"

"**Don't worry, there's no way they caught your face going that fast" **The Dragon reassured, despite knowing Hiccup couldn't quite understand him.

"We really should get back to Berk. Not that anyone is missing me at the moment" Hiccup rolled his eyes. Toothless replied with a frustrated groan, clearly annoyed at his response. "I'm sorry Bud, but I ain't ready to leave yet! A few more days of preparing and I promise we'll be on our way."

"**I hope you're right. This island is no place for you or me"**. Toothless could make out Berk in the horizon and flew towards it, hoping it would be the last time he ever did.

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup managed to land Toothless back in the grove under the cover of darkness, taking a long de-tour to avoid flying over any houses. He knew that the traders would tell stories of what they saw, and Berk would be left on edge for weeks after.

"Sorry Bud, but after that scare we gave those people, I don't think we should go flying for the next few days" Hiccup said glumly as he dismounted the Dragon. Toothless nodded in agreement, he didn't want to be discovered this close to leaving Berk, or risk the life of his companion. "Don't worry though, I'll still come down here every opportunity I'm given. We'll find some ways to pass the time."

"**Don't forget to bring some fish!" **Toothless grunted happily as his friend began the long walk home.

"I know, I know. I'll bring plenty of food for you. No eels this time!" Hiccup laughed back, before turning away and leaving the grove which he secretly called home. Hiccup couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt as he weaved in-between the trees in the pitch-black. Toothless was a Dragon, he wasn't accustomed to staying in the same spot for days on end. His Dragon was the only thing on Berk that wanted to leave more than him, and Hiccup was stopping that from happening. "I promise, Toothless" Hiccup murmured to nobody in particular, "I'll let Astrid win, and then we're outta here". The small teenager finally reached the outskirts of the village, much to his surprise, not a single person could be seen, despite being the evening feast hour.

"Hiccup, there you are!" Gobber hobbled over to meet him, flailing the hammer attached to his arm.

"Oh, hey Gobber, what's up?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow

"Where in Odin's name have you been? We've been looking for you for hours now!"

"I've been um, training- Gobber is something wrong?" The look on the man's face was a clear sign that something wasn't normal this evening. Had someone spotted him landing?"

"We need your skills in the arena; a Dragon has broken in and is wreaking havoc down there!" Hiccup's blood went cold; he knew this couldn't turn out well. He broke out into a jog along side his ex-teacher towards the source of the chaos.

"Broken IN? Surely only a small dragon can fit through those chain walls?" Gobber shook his head.

"It didn't use the chain walls, it walked right through the front door when nobody was watching," Gobber finished the sentence before Hiccup could question; "It's a Changewing". Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks, letting the severity of the situation grab hold of him. A _Changewing_ was in the arena. How was He supposed to stop something can't be seen and sprays acid! Hiccup sprinted past Gobber, if he didn't stop the Dragon peacefully, the Vikings would likely kill it.

"Hiccup, wait! What are ya gonna do?" Gobber panted

"Something crazy" He yelled back, continuing onwards.

o~0~O~0~o

From the moment Hiccup arrived at the Kill Ring, he could tell this wouldn't be easy. Vikings swarmed around the walls of the Arena with weapons in hands, searching for any sign of the Changewing. Bright green acid was stained all over the area, even melting some of the stones nearby. Before Hiccup could react, the twins had found him and were yelling at the rest of the crowd.

"Here he is everyone! I've found him!" the twins yelled in union. Many Vikings cheered and clapped as the tiny boy approached the stone walls of the Kill Ring, and stared down at the scene before him. It was obvious that something was down there, acid lay splattered on the floor and a constant hissing sound was present.

"Has anyone been down there in the Ring?" Hiccup stammered, trying not to let his nerves get the better of him.

"Are you crazy, Hiccup?" Fishlegs squeaked, visibly terrified, "It'll kill anything that steps foot in there!"

"Someone's got to try" He replied bleakly, stepping away from the edge and walking toward the gate.

"I'm going down there with you" he turned to face the person who said that, Astrid. She wore a stern expression, yet it was clear that even _she _was a little frightened. Hiccup felt anger brewing inside of him, there were lives at stake, and she was going to risk it in an attempt at looking better than him.

"No Astrid, you can't. This isn't a competition, and if too many people go down there it'll only make things worse" He said firmly.

"I _wasn't _asking" She growled, showing him aside and turning the crank to open the gate. The crowd turned deathly silent as Astrid walked in the Kill Ring, holding her trusty axe and shield. People stared at her in disbelief, how was she going to kill something that can't be seen? She isn't even a proper Viking! The gentle sound of claws tapping on stone echoed throughout the arena, along with a slithering sound that sent shivers down the spines of everybody who dared to watch.

'Remember you're training, Astrid' She thought to herself. Very few people had taken down a Changewing, and she hadn't read any of its weaknesses in the Dragon Manual. She began smashing her weapon and shield together, Gobber's voice rattling inside her head.

'Noise: make lots of it!' She was beginning to seriously regret this decision; the sound could enrage it for all she knew.

But Astrid was determined to prove her worth. No way was she backing down.

Hiccup watched in horror from the open gate. He knew full well that making noise only threw off a Dragon's aim. The Changewing could still attack her in a hundred different ways.

"Astrid!" Hiccup yelled madly, "Get back here before you get yourself killed". He could see that she wanted to; she was just as terrified as everyone else. But she was also stubborn, and was willing to risk it all to graduate first in the class.

"Shut up, Hiccup" She hissed "This Dragon-". A bright red tail swung out of thin air, knocking Astrid to the ground with a sharp _crunch_. The people watching gasped in horror as she tried to defend herself from her invisible attacker with a clearly broken arm. Hiccup could make out the slight outline of a Dragon circling his long-time crush, helpless to stop it. The Dragon struck a second time, knocking her down from behind with its muscular front legs. Astrid writhed in agony as the Changewing exposed itself at last.

'It's smaller than I thought' Hiccup thought numbly, unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing. The Changewing was unlike any other Dragon he'd seen before. It was a wash of spikes, talons and claws, with a set of large jaws and two huge horns at either sides of its head. The Dragon stalked its way up to Astrid, with its red skin matching the colour of Astrid's blood.

"Someone do something!" A woman screamed desperately as the Dragon loomed over the defeated Viking. Hiccup knew he was the only person who could stop it killing her, and he had a matter of seconds to act.

"STOP" Hiccup roared, running madly onto the Ring without any weapons. The Changewing took a step back, snarling viciously. It had never met a creature stupid enough to openly defy it. Hiccup put himself in between the Dragon and Astrid, doing his best not to show any weakness. "I'm not going to hurt you, just leave her alone." He held out both his hand to show that he was no threat to the beast, cautiously taking steps towards it. The Dragon noticed a strange smell about the boy; it had been around other Dragons besides itself. "Yes, that's right" Hiccup let out the smallest smile as the Changewing realised "you can smell him, can't you?" He had now pushed the Dragon back against the wall; it knew this person was anything but ordinary; the boy had bonded with a Dragon even more dangerous than itself. Hiccup reached out with a single hand, and closed his eyes the same way he did when he bonded with Toothless. After holding his breath for what seemed like hours, the teenager felt a soft skin push up against his hand; he let out a deep exhale, stunned at what he'd just done to save the girl who hated him. "Okay, get out of here now before they hack you to pieces" He whispered to the beast, gesturing to the wide open door behind him. Hiccup watched as the Changewing completely ignored the wounded Astrid, and flew out of the Kill Ring as if it had simply grown bored of tormenting her.

For almost a solid minute nobody said a thing, everyone just gaped at Hiccup as he fought for his breath. Several weeks ago, nobody would have guessed that H_iccup Horrendous Haddock the third_ would have been able to save a fellow Viking from one of the most reclusive and dangerous Dragons ever known. Hiccup bent down to make sure Astrid was all right. He could tell that she had a few broken bones, and her face would have some serious scaring, but she'd live and that's all that mattered.

"S-someone get her… get her some help" Those were the last things he said before fainting in front of the Village.

o~0~O~0~o

Stoick the Vast let out the tiniest smile as their boat sailed into Berk's rugged docks. For almost four weeks he and his Vikings had searched for the Dragon's nest, with no such luck. He could make out Gobber in the early morning light, waving at him with a paddle attached to his wrist. Seeing his old friend reminded him of where he left of with his son, Hiccup. Stoick hoped that Gobber would bring good news of his son's road to being a Viking like himself. Gobber held out his one good arm, giving Stoick a clumsy grin.

"So… I take it you found the nest, eh?"

"Not even close" The Chief shook his head in frustration

"Oh. Excellent" Gobber muttered in return

"I hope you had a little more success than me?"

"Well, if by success, that your parenting troubles are over, then yes." Stoick stared at Gobber in confusion, then at the many cheerful Vikings that approached him.

"Congratulations, Stoick! Everyone is _so _relieved"

"Out with the old, and in with the new, right?"

"No-one will miss that old nuisance!"

"The village is throwing a party to celebrate!" Stoick stared back at Gobber in disbelief, what the Hel had happened to his son?

"He's gone…?"

"Yeah, most afternoons, I mean who can blame him? The life of a celebrity's very rough. He can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by his new fans." The ginger-haired Chief grabbed his friend by the shoulder and drew him to a halt, unsure of whom he was talking about.

"Is this Hiccup we're talking about? What in Odin's name did he do?"

"Stoick, you'd better take a seat. This is quite a story you're gonna hear…"

o~0~O~0~o

"You think he's dead" Tuffnut asked casually

"You can't die from fainting, Tuff. I think he just went into shock" Fishlegs rolled his eyes

"Well, when will he wake?" Snotlout said, giving Hiccup a gentle tap on the shoulder

"Gothi said it would be soon, I'm sure he just needs a bit of rest" Gobber said. Hiccup slowly opened his eyes, having heard most of the conversation.

"I'm alive, don't worry" He gave a clumsy grin, staring at the five people before him. Hiccup was glad to be back in his bed, more comfortable than ever.

"Hiccup! There's my apprentice, how ya feeling?"

"I'm good thanks, Gobber" He yawned "How's Astrid holding up?"

"She's fine, Hiccup. She actually woke up several-"Tuffnut pushed Gobber aside and gave Hiccup a light punch in the gut.

"That was the coolest thing ever! I was so sure that Changewing was going to eat you, but you sure showed him!" Ruffnut agreed by madly nodding.

"Um, thanks you two. Did I faint or something?" He asked Fishlegs curiously

"The healers seem to think so. Then again, who wouldn't after doing what you did last night"

"Wait, I was out all night?" Hiccup asked, slightly stunned. "Gobber, has Trader Johann arrived?"

"Yeah, turned up late last night with quite a story to tell," Gobber stared uncomfortably at the teenagers who gathered around Hiccup's bed. "Erm, lads I'm gonna need you to wait outside. I've got to have a private word with Hiccup". The teens nodded and filed out of the room, wishing the boy a speedy recovery.

"What do you need to talk about?" Hiccup asked curiously

"Oh, nothing" Gobber grinned, holding out a large metal tool, wrapped in cloth. "I just wanted to give you this as a gift". Hiccup shakily got out of bed and accepted the gift with a smile.

"What is it?" he asked as he slowly removed the cloth surrounding it.

"Well, I gave Trader Johann a visit this morning, and told him about your quest to find yourself a real man's weapon. He gave me this". The weapon Hiccup held wasn't quite like anything else he'd seen before. The weapon was like a spear, having a large wooden shaft that took up most of its enormous length. At the very tip of the weapon there was a deadly looking blade, one side perfectly edged and the other serrated like a wood-saw. Hiccup put the base of the weapon at his toes, the weapon was slightly taller than him, yet was about as light as a short sword.

"Is this some sort of harpoon?" Hiccup asked, gently trying out the long weapon in each hand.

"Sort of, Johann called it a 'Glaive' or something like that. He said it's from the desert cities down south, and will work wonders in the right hands". Hiccup stared closely at the beautiful weapon he held, it was everything he needed and so much more. With this weapon he would still be fast, but with the range of any other Viking.

"I… It's wonderful Gobber," He breathed "I can't thank you enough for something like this". Gobber gave his apprentice a rough pat on the shoulder.

"Thank me later kid, you're gonna need it for the Nightmare fight next week-"

"Hang on, what? Isn't there still one more fight before the graduation?" Hiccup felt his stomach drop when Gobber laughed and shook his head

"Not anymore. After last night Astrid's in no condition to fight, and you showed the village that you've got what it takes". Hiccup dropped the glaive on the floor and sagged back onto his bed, Gobber's voice rattling inside of his head.

"Congratulations Hiccup, _you get to kill the dragon_"

**Hello, thank you for reading my first story! I'll be trying to get out one chapter every fortnight or so, don't forget to favorite if you enjoyed it and leave a review if you want to share your thoughts!**

**KEY:**

**"Dragon talking"**

"Standard dialogue"

'Personal thoughts of POV Character'

**Peace! :-)**


	2. Leaving No Evidence

Hiccup felt a lump well up in his throat. His blood turned to ice and he fought for his breath.

"I'm going to kill the Nightmare?" He asked Gobber, doing his best to look pleased at the news.

"You sure are! Astrid even conceded defeat. She said her actions were foolish and dangerous and that you deserved to kill the beast more than any other Viking."

"Well uh, isn't it the chief who decides whether the rules are changed like this?" Hiccup was desperate to avoid the fight. No way was he prepared to leave Berk within the week.

"Stoick gave the all clear this morning after Astrid spoke" before Hiccup could ask how, Gobber smacked himself on the forehead, "how stupid of me. Your father sailed into port several hours after Trader Johann".

"Oh. Well, has he paid me a visit yet?" He raised an eyebrow at the old blacksmith.

"Nah, sorry lad, he's been trying to talk some sense into Trader Johann." Hiccup had almost forgotten his little stunt with Toothless the previous evening.

"Why would he need to talk some sense into Johann?" He asked, pretending to be confused. "Did something bad happen on their trip here?"

"I wouldn't call it bad news, but it certainly isn't good news" He muttered "Johann and his crew bumped into a Night Fury on their way here". Hiccup faked shock at this news.

"Odin's Beard, are they all right? Did it attack them?"

"Sorry lad, but I aren't allowed to tell you what happened. I don't think he's telling the truth, it's a bit too crazy, even for someone like Trader Johann". Gobber seemed especially nervous about someone riding a Night Fury. Did he and his Stoick think this 'Dragon Rider' was preparing to attack? Hiccup got up of his bed and picked up his new 'Glaive', courtesy of Gobber.

"Well, I'd best get back to my training, after all, I've got a Dragon to kill!" Hiccup chuckled nervously, walking past the broad Viking "thanks for the weapon, Gobber" giving it a shake in his hands, "you have no idea how much this will help me". Hiccup left the house in a hurry, leaving Gobber by his lonesome

'Kids these days' Gobber thought to himself, 'who knows how their minds work?'

o~0~O~0~o

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled as he entered the grove "where are you, Bud?" The black Dragon came bounding up the boy within seconds of him calling out his name, sniffing his body for any traces of food. Instead of fish, he smelt a much more sinister odour.

"**Hiccup I can smell another Dragon. Has something bad happened?" **Toothless let out a low growl, checking behind his friend to make sure nothing had followed him.

"Toothless relax. The Dragon didn't hurt me and I think he's gone for now, just hear me out" The Night Fury sat down on his hind legs and let Hiccup go into detail about everything that happened. For almost an hour Toothless listened to his rider explain how he defended that jealous girl from the Changewing, and how she pulled out of the competition to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. When Hiccup had finished telling everything, Toothless got up and ran around the grove with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. "Toothless, this isn't good news! I'm not ready to leave yet and you know it!" The Dragon stopped joking about and sat back down next to Hiccup. He wished that his friend could understand him like he did, then he'd be able to explain that he _was_ in fact ready to leave, he just wasn't ready to admit it. "Look bud, i know you're excited to leave, I am as well. But I don't want to leave without them knowing I could still be out there. I mean, what would my father do?" Hiccup put down his weapon and reached into his jacket to pull out his book and stick of charcoal. "We need to make it look like I died fighting a Dragon or something. Otherwise he'll search for me and we can never be at peace". Toothless nodded in agreement, he knew it had to be done.

"**What about that spear you've got there? Is that the weapon you promised to get?"** The Dragon gestured to the Glaive on the ground, and Hiccup shot him a grin.

"Oh, you mean this? Gobber gave me this when I woke up. Pretty nice, don't you think?" He dropped his journal and picked up the weapon, giving it a few slow twirls in his hands "Trader Johann called it a 'Glaive'. I think it suits me perfectly, I can attack nice and fast without sacrificing any of my range!" he adopted a fighting stance and pretended to skewer an imaginary opponent, "plus it looks pretty cool, you gotta admit"

"**Keep on dreaming, you're worse with that than your dagger!" **Toothless rolled his eyes as his companion continued to make a fool of himself. Eventually Hiccup drew himself away from the exotic weapon and got to work writing a letter to his father. He wanted to make sure he ran away with honour, if such a thing was possible.

"Toothless, how to you want to live when we get out of here? I mean, we could live all alone or something. Or maybe we could find a new village that's slightly more accepting to Dragons?" Hiccup asked, as he scribbled away at the piece of paper. He was still so unsure about everything.

"**I don't know, Hiccup. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's just focus on getting out of here"**

o~0~O~0~o

Astrid hobbled around the streets of Berk, a splint on her left leg and a thick wooden cast around her right arm. She'd woken up earlier that morning, and still hadn't bumped into Hiccup: the 'cowardly' boy who was the only person with the courage to save her. Every second of the day she repeated the scenario over and over in her head. Astrid remembered the immense pain as she doubled over onto the cold floor, unable to defend herself from the Dragon. She remembered Hiccup's voice, full of determination and fear as he ran into the Kill Ring, all to save _her_. The more she thought about it, the more guilt built up inside of her. Every day, for as long as she could remember, Astrid had treated the Chief's son like he was some sort of pest; a nuisance and an inconvenience to be around. She was determined to account for her wrongdoings, and apologise for all the terrible things she'd ever done to him. Astrid could see Spitelout and several Vikings in the distance, making repairs to one of the large net-launchers.

"Hey Spitelout, have you seen Hiccup today?"

"Mornin' Astrid, glad you're still in one piece! I think I saw him head down to the forest earlier on. Probably training for his big fight" Spitelout pointed at the dense section of trees down the road with the rusty hammer he held. Astrid was hardly surprised he'd be in there, since Dragon Training began, he had basically lived in there. If she wasn't in such a bad state, she probably would've gone down there and spoken to him, but she wasn't ready to risk another injury when she could simply wait for him to return.

"Astrid" A deep voice came from behind her as she limped to the forest. She turned to face Hiccup's father, Stoick the Vast.

"Oh, hey chief" She cleared her throat, intimidated by his unmistakable scowl he gave people, "Are you looking for Hiccup as well?"

"Aye lass, have you seen him lately?" Stoick asked

"No, but Spitelout told me he went into the forest earlier". Stoick nodded and walked off the pathway they were on and down into the bushland, where he'd hope to find his son.

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup lay in a small mountain of discarded papers, as he continued to perfect the letter he would leave to his father. He wanted to make sure it was believable, yet still left his dad proud of whom he once was. Hiccup put down his stick of charcoal and held up the paper, perhaps this one he'd gotten right.

"Toothless, come over here. I finished another." The Night Fury had been splashing around in the lake while his friend wrote, and was looking forward to him finishing. "I think this one is just right" He gently shook the letter, as if it were a flag or banner. "I used smaller words this time, and talked more about 'Viking honour' and all that rubbish, here's how it goes:" The Dragon listened closely as Hiccup read out what he'd just written.

_To my father, Stoick the Vast_

_These past few weeks, I've learnt more about the Viking way of life than I would've ever hoped to. I have found out what it really means to be one of the tribe: To walk like a Viking and to talk like a Viking. I'm honoured to have been chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, as part of my graduation, but I'm afraid I must decline the offer. Not because I believe it's wrong, but because I have set myself an even greater challenge._

_When I stopped the Changewing from killing Astrid, I could hear the cries of the Dragon I would soon have to fight. I could tell it was wounded, poorly fed and clearly terrified. I see no honour and no glory in slaying a beast in that state. Instead, I am determined to track down a healthy Nightmare in the wilds, and bring you its heart. This will prove to you and all Vikings on Berk that I am worthy of being both your son and heir._

_By the time you have read this, I will be long gone and hopefully still alive. If I am to perish on my hunt, I ask not that my death be avenged, but simply celebrated. I do not want my memory to be a burden to you, or anyone else._

_Odin watches over me,_

_~Hiccup._

"How's that sound, boy? Think they'll believe it?" Hiccup asked. Toothless nodded in agreement and gave a satisfied purr.

"**I think it's excellent, Hiccup. Makes much more sense than those others you wrote"**

"I'm glad you like it, bud. Now all we need to do is pack our bags and make it look like-"

"**Hold on, I can smell a Viking nearby"** Toothless let out a guttural snarl, sniffing the air intensely and scanning the tree line for any signs of company.

"T-Toothless, is somebody near us?" Hiccup grabbed his glaive of the ground and put his back against the rock wall. "Is it someone we know?" He hissed. Toothless gave another sniff, his eyed widening at the realization of who it was.

"**Oh no, I think it might be-"**

"Hiccup" A booming voice could be heard nearby, "where are you, son?" Hiccup let out a quiet groan, out of all the people to meet him here; it had to be his father.

"Toothless, I'll go up there and keep him busy. Get in the water and don't come up until its all clear." His Dragon gave a small nod, creeping out of cover and sliding into the sapphire blue water. Hiccup ran through the gap in the grove and up to where his father was looking for him.

"Son, there you are!" Hiccup was genuinely shocked by his dad's expression; was he actually pleased to see him?

"Hey dad, good to see you back on Berk" he gave an awkward wave to Stoick "so, how was the raid? Did you find the nest-"

"Who cares about the nest!" the chief let out a laugh, lightly punching his son on the arm, "I've heard all about how well you've been doing in the ring. Odin's beard I think I can actually show myself in public now!"

"I know right" Hiccup nervously laughed, "Well I listened to what you said before you left. It's high time I became a Viking like you and lived up to the family name".

"Indeed you are. I can finally call you my son!" Hiccup felt a slight burst of anger inside when his father said that. Did he honestly have to become a savage killer to earn his respect? Stoick pointed at his son's Glaive, "I'm guessing Trader Johann gave yer that?"

"Yeah, I think it's great" He handed the weapon to his dad, who gently tossed it up and down.

"It's quite nice actually. Kinda reminds me of the spears those twins use, except this is much better looking" the chief grinned and handed it back to Hiccup, "Just don't poke your eye out with it, that can be quite messy."

"Thanks for the advice, dad." Hiccup rolled his eyes, "have you seen Astrid yet? I've meant to ask how she's holding up."

"Aye, she was looking for you moments before I went into the forest" Stoick nodded, "I'm sure she's very grateful for you saving her life"

"That's great to hear, dad." A lengthy silence followed, neither of them had a conversation lasting this long, "well um, I guess I'd better get back to training. I don't want to disappoint you next week, do i?"  
"Couldn't agree more my son, train hard and do all of us proud" He gave a firm nod and walked back to Berk. Still unable to believe how much his son had changed over the weeks he'd been away. Hiccup let out a deep breath, thanking the Gods he hadn't heard Toothless down in the grove. He returned to where his Dragon was in hiding and gave the all clear.

"**That was too close, Hiccup. Now he knows where to find us if he wants to speak with us again" **Toothless grunted, shaking his body dry of the water.

"I don't think he caught a glimpse of the grove, so I think we're safe for now, bud." Hiccup picked up the papers he left discarded on the mossy floor and packed them into his fur jacket. "As I was saying, all I need to do after this is pack my bags and make it look like I was killed by a Dragon." The Night Fury stared around the grove they were in.

"**This is where we could do it. You could put some blood in the water and I can put my tracks all over here."**

"I agree. This is where we should fake my death." He nodded, "But we'll focus on that later. I still haven't finished saying my goodbyes or packing my things." Toothless nudged his friend towards the exit of the grove, clearly excited about his companion's announcement.

"**Well hurry up then, I can't wait to leave!"**

o~0~O~0~o

Astrid finally caught a glimpse of Hiccup leaving the forest. He was carrying a long, spear-like weapon in his hand and a small piece of paper in the other. She got up from the tree stump she was sitting on and walked up to him.

"Hey, Hiccup" She called out; catching his attention "can we talk quickly?" The boy quickly walked up to her, a slight smile across his face.

"Hello Astrid. Good to see you up and about"

"Yeah well, thanks to you" She returned the smile and shrugged her shoulders, "it was stupid of me to run in there, thinking I could take that Dragon on alone."

"We're Vikings: it's an occupational hazard" Hiccup grinned, "I'm sure if it wasn't in hiding you would've taken him on. I guess it's just luck he showed himself when I ran on…" Astrid nodded in return.

"So how'd you do it? I think it knocked me out before you stopped him"

"Honestly? I've got no idea" he chuckled, "I think it was surprised that someone was stupid enough to mess with it, and thought I was diseased or something." Astrid laughed at that comment, surprising Hiccup. This was the first time he'd ever seen her like this: not staring at him with frustration or anger. She saw him as a person.

"Well, thanks to your 'stupidity', I'm alive today, and with some pretty awesome scars to show off" Astrid brushed her long blonde hair off her face, showing off a large red gash on her forehead, "hurts a bit, but should look pretty sweet."

"That's great news" Hiccup beamed, pleased to have finally impressed his long-time crush. "I heard you dropped out of the competition to kill the Nightmare." Astrid nodded, revealing a hint of disappointment.

"Yeah, you heard right. I'm in no condition to fight a Terror, let alone one of those Dragons. Besides, you've proven you're a much better candidate than I am."

"Wow. Well thanks I guess" He said, "that means a lot actually. I just hope it doesn't beat me. That would be kinda embarrassing."

"It definitely would be, and messy come to think of it" Astrid added, before lapsing into silence. "H-Hiccup, I'm not good with talking so ill just put this as it is. I didn't just come here to say thankyou for yesterday." He raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant.

"What? I don't understand?"

"I came to apologise, Hiccup. These past few years I've treated you pretty badly, so have the others." He could tell it was hard for her to say this, which made him glad in a strange kind of way. "You've proven to me and every other Viking on Berk that you aren't useless, and that you don't deserve to be made fun of." She stuck out her hand, offering it to Hiccup. "You're a Viking now, and it's time we treated you like one." He shook her hand and smiled in return.

"Thanks Astrid" was all he could manage; he was stunned that she did this. It gave him a sense of relief he'd never experienced before. "I suppose I should get back to it" he said, resuming his traditional 'Hiccup' awkwardness, "I'll catch ya' later. Get well soon!" He ran off up the hill and back to Berk, leaving Astrid to watch him leave.

'Wonder what goes on in that head of his' She shook her head and smiled, 'and to think, a few days ago I hated that guy.'

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup was lucky to find the forge abandoned when he arrived at Gobber's store the next day. He intended on taking several crafting tools before he left, so that he could create equipment and gear while away from civilization. Hiccup decided to take a hammer, tongs and a small set of bellows he could fit on his fur pack. He was weary that some of these tools would go noticed if taken, so he made sure to only take the things not often used.

Hiccup left the smithy with his bag almost full and starting to feel heavy. He was having a hard time deciding what he was going to take, leave on Berk, or destroy. He made his way home, knowing there were still some notes stashed away about his Dragon's wing attachment.

'Perhaps I should make some armour' He thought, passing several Vikings who greeted him, 'I doubt my flying suit would serve much protection' the chief's house was stone cold when Hiccup arrived; he knew his father was by the docks and wouldn't be back for several hours. The boy began rummaging through his room, grabbing anything related to his Dragon or the tailfin he made. As Hiccup looked through his drawers and under his bed, he got an idea. He could write a book, not revolving around Dragon's weaknesses or where to hunt them, but instead how to train them and what makes each of them unique.

"The Rider's Manual" He smiled, grabbing several more sheets of paper. Hopefully when- IF he settled somewhere, he would have the time to make such an idea become reality. After some time clearing the household of all evidence, he made a short trip to visit the Viking teens in the Kill Ring. He wanted to make sure he left them on good terms, without revealing his plans of self-exile.

o~0~O~0~o

"Astrid. All I'm sayin' is that we go out on a fishing trip!" Snotlout asked as he practised his sword fighting skills against a straw target. "We'll have the sea, the fish, and if you're lucky a Scauldron can show up and I'll slay it for you."

"Yeah, how romantic" Astrid snorted, sharpening her axe with a small stone, "You'd soil your britches if a Scauldron showed up, and I'd have to kill it." Tuffnut was absent-mindedly throwing stones at the thick wall keeping the Gronkle in its cage.

"It's funny 'cos neither of you have actually killed a Dragon. None of us have" he stated smugly. Fishlegs tried to hold in a laugh, but was given a dirty stare by both Snotlout and Astrid.

"Won't be able to say that for much longer, Hiccup is going to kill the Nightmare" Fishlegs said

"You really think he'll do it? I mean, I get that he's good, but this is a _Monstrous Nightmare_ we're talkin' about" Ruffnut asked

"I reckon he could. I mean, he's taken down every other Dragon without a scratch. Wish I knew how he was doing it, though" Astrid said with a hint of disappointment.

"I bet he's just been training hard. I mean he's got to prove his worth, being the heir to Stoick" Fishlegs answered. Snotlout was happy for his cousin's success against the Dragons, a fact the surprised even himself. But what he couldn't bring himself to accept, was that Hiccup would soon become the chief; _his_ chief. He would do anything to take his spot, but had no clue on how he would do it. The gentle sound of stepping could be heard behind the group, along with the clanging of metal.

"Hey everyone," It was Hiccup, carrying a large pack with a fancy spear attached to it.

"Oh hey, about time you joined us for some practise." Many heads turned at the sound of Astrid saying that. It was obvious that her attitude towards him had changed since he saved her. Hiccup gave a small smile and shook his head.

"Nah, but thanks for the offer Astrid, I actually came here to say farewell"

"Wait what? Are you leaving or something?" Snotlout asked

"Yes, but hopefully I'll be back some time next week" The teens raised their eyebrows at his mentioning of _hopefully_. Hiccup had a whole speech prepared to give them, and spoke with confidence. "I'm travelling to Lavalout islands to train for the big fight ahead of me."

"Why don't you just train here?" Astrid questioned, not quite believing his story.

"I want to, really. But Berk is simply too distracting and this is my life on the line" Hiccup tried to sound as casual as possible; he couldn't let them realise the truth. "I just wanted to wish all of you guy the best of luck. I'll be cut off from the village and anything can happen in a week or two." Hiccup walked up to his cousin and gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder, "Stay safe and keep all those limbs on you."

"Um, what are you doing?" Snotlout stared at him as if he was pulling some sort of prank, "You're going for a few days, big deal. The worst thing that could happen is a raid or two, and we're prepared for that." Hiccup ignored the comment and walked out of the Kill Ring before anyone could say anything more. He didn't want to say too much, and give away how he wouldn't be coming back.

"Well… That was weird" Astrid noted, watching Hiccup turn the corner and leave her sight.

"You're telling me!" Snotlout gave his shoulder a brush off and stared at the group, "can someone please tell me what just happened?"

"Well, from what I heard. Hiccup is leaving Berk" Tuffnut said proudly,

"Thanks for your input, Tuff" Fishlegs rolled his eyes, "Well he seems to be telling the truth. If I was in his shoes I'd remove all distractions and train in complete peace"

"I guess so" Astrid mused, returning to sharpening her weapon, "but he acted like he's leaving forever."

"You guys are all forgetting one thing" Snotlout threw his hands up in the air and barked a short laugh. "This is Hiccup we're talking about!"

o~0~O~0~o

Toothless helped his human companion to a boulder by the lake inside the grove. It had been several hours since Hiccup had returned from saying his goodbyes to the teenagers, and since then he had been hard at work creating the scene of his death.

"Thanks bud… Think I'm gonna take a lie down" The boy slumped against the rock, fighting the dizziness inside of him. The Dragon stared down at his friend, he'd cut himself with his dagger and smeared his blood all over the grove.

"**You really went over the top with all this blood. Looks a bit unrealistic" **Toothless grunted as he stared at the many small puddles he'd created. The Dragon had also heavily contributed to his 'death', there were plasma blasts all over the grove, along with several of his obsidian scales.

"It looks quite believable, if you ask me" Hiccup breathed, removing his jacket and cutting it up and scattering the pieces in the lake next to him. "Hopefully then won't find this for a few days, and by then we'll be far away from here"

"**I can't wait to finally get out of here. We can go wherever we want" **Toothless purred, sitting next to his friend, **"Let's just hope these Vikings don't figure it all out"**

"I know I'm excited as well bud. I'll plant the note in my father's room and we'll get going." Hiccup took a sip from his water container and shakily got to his feet. Sundown was approaching fast, and he knew his father would be in the Meade Hall until late, it was a better time than ever. "I'll be back within the hour"

o~0~O~0~o

Stoick the Vast sat on at one of the large tables in the Meade Hall, surrounded by his fellow Vikings. It had been a long day, yet a pleasant one. He hadn't seen his son today, yet that came as no surprise. Since Hiccup's success, the chief had given him as much space as possible. He wanted his son to do as well as possible in the coming weeks, and do the entire village proud.

"Spitelout, fetch me another mug will ye?" Gobber asked the chief's brother, who responded with a careless grunt. "So Stoick, Fishlegs told me this afternoon that Hiccup's off to Lavalout Island, for some extra training and stuff, you knew about that?"

"No actually, when did he leave?" the chief raised an eyebrow.

"He said that he left yesterday and that he'll be back in a week or so"

"I sure hope so; I still haven't seen him against a Dragon." Stoick took a swig at his drink, "I gotta hand it to you Gobber, I was sure he wouldn't make it through Dragon Training, let alone top the class"

"If I'm honest, so was I" He laughed in response, "I think the gods favour the lad. He's the sway with the beasts like I've never seen before"

"He'll make a good chief some day. If I don't find the nest, he surely will." Stoick had been at the hall for most of the evening now, and wanted to be in good condition for the next day. "Gobber, I think I've had enough for one night. I'm off to bed" He rose from his seat and gave his friend a rough pat on the shoulder, "Keep up the good work at the forge, you're going great considering Hiccup isn't there" The red-haired Viking pushed open the tall doors of the Meade Hall and walked out into the cool night. After a short walk he arrived at his home, it had no smoke coming out the chimney and no candles lit- a clear sign that nobody was there. He pushed open the door and collapsed into his favourite chair, completely unaware there was a letter stuck to his front door.

_A letter from Hiccup._

o~0~O~0~o

"Okay bud, I'm back" Hiccup panted as he ran towards Toothless, "I put the note on the front door, hopefully he won't see it until tomorrow" He picked his large bag off the floor and attached it to the back of his Dragon. "How's that feel? Not too heavy?"

"**I'll manage, let's get going before they find us"** The boy jumped onto Toothless and attached his harness, countless emotions running through him.

"Okay let's do this. No turning back now" He gave the grove he was in one last look. For the past few weeks this place was more his home than the house back at Berk. He stared at the spot where he first drew Toothless; the lake where he crashed after his first flight; at the spot of dirt where he first bonded with the Dragon. A small part of him wanted to stay here and not leave, but he knew it was best to leave Berk and not risk the life of his best friend. "You ready bud? No more Vikings, just you, me" He looked up and pointed at the sky, filled with beautiful gleaming stars, "and _that_"

"**Can we please just leave, Hiccup?" **Toothless let out a small laugh, stretching his wings and getting ready for a long flight.

"Okay okay, let's get going!" The Dragon crouched down and launched into the sky, ecstatic to have begun the long journey from this barbaric place. "Toothless, give the people of Berk a nice goodbye" He laughed, patting the Dragon as they flew higher into the clouds.

"**I was hoping you'd say that"** Toothless opened his mouth and gave a peircing roar, terrifing the wildlife below them. Hiccup was too happy to care about being seen, he was _leaving_, at long last. He was sick of the Viking life, and wanted a fresh start. The Dragon and his rider leveled out eventually, soaring over the deep blue sea. Hiccup looked behind him and at Berk; it was more beautiful than ever. The Meade hall was filled with candlelight and faint yelling could be heard from inside. Hiccup would always have a soft spot for Berk; it had his childhood along with many memories to cherish. He turned back to face the ocean, and let a single tear fall from his face.

"No turning back now"

Hey All, thanks for reading another chapter!

**I've been thinking about Hiccup's future and i want to ask the readers a question: Hiccup can't fully understand Toothless and he will soon enough, how should he be able to? (Either learn Dragonese or have the gods give him the gift to hear Toothless in English) Post your ideas if you feel like sharing! Anyways, stay tuned for the next episode, i'll try to have it ready in the next couple of weeks!**

**Peace :-)**


	3. Gradual Uncovering

**Hello my lovely readers! Just like to say a few things before you start reading the third instalment to 'The Lone Rider'. Firstly, I've bumped up the rating to T, because from here the gore/violence will start to get more frequent. Secondly, I'd like all of you to know that I am a single writer, with school, commitments and plenty of things to do. From now on my publishing will be far less frequent (my holidays are coming to a close), so please don't be disheartened! Now, that's about it, please enjoy!**

**~Brovahkiin**

o~0~O~0~o

"_You're a traitor, Hiccup" Stoick the Vast pointed a shaky finger at his son, who stared back at him in confusion, "You're no Viking. You aren't my son"_

"_Dad, you need to hear me out! These Dragons, they aren't what we thought they are!" Hiccup pleaded desperately, "They're just defending themselves. We've killed far more of them than they have of us-"_

"_I knew it, from the very start" Astrid cut in smugly, "You were a filthy cheater right from the beginning. You're no better than those savage beasts, you deserve to die just like them" She pointed the head of her axe a Hiccup, smiling viciously at him._

"_He's just a chicken. He took the easy way out; he didn't have the guts to kill the Monstrous Nightmare" Snotlout laughed, "You always were the useless one, Hiccup. Never did anything good in your life, and never will!"_

"**Hiccup!"**

"_What would your mother say about you, Hiccup? What would she say, to the boy who sided with the very creatures that took her life?" Stoick yelled, "You're a disgrace to Berk. Keep running, coward. I never want to see you again"_

"_Stop it, stop it please!" Hiccup covered his ears with his hands, letting tears run freely from his face. He knew they were all right; he was a traitor, a coward and a cheat. "I'm sorry, please I'm sorry!" He felt the world around him collapse, as he was pulled out of his thoughts. The figures before him vanished, and all that was left was darkness._

"**Hiccup, wake up!"** Toothless nudged his sleeping friend. He could tell he was having a bad dream, from the sweat and tears running down him. The boy soon jolted awake, gasping for air and in a state of shock. **"There you are, you all right?"**

"T-Toothless, there you are. Thanks for waking me bud" Hiccup brushed his sweaty hair out of his face and got up from the rock he was sleeping against. "Another rough dream, same as the last few I think." Toothless gently rubbed his friend with his nose, purring softly.

"**It's not real, so you don't need to worry about them. We're far away from them and they can't reach us."**

"I know we're a long way from them. But what would they say if they learnt truth?" Over the past few days, Hiccup had gotten better at understanding what Toothless was saying. Dragonese was a complicated language, so he often guessed or based it on the Dragon's body language. "I just hope we covered all our tracks up, we can't have anyone search for us."

"**You worry far too much, even if they do find out, they won't track us here"** Toothless grunted, helping his friend to his feet. Since the duo had left, they had been flying from island to island, sleeping in the day and traveling by night. **"Let's do some hunting, I feel like some fish"**

"Yeah good idea lets get us some food" Hiccup picked up his glaive off the floor and stretched out his limbs, he wanted to forget that dream as soon as possible. He and his Dragon had slept in a small patch of forest land on a remote island known as Horrendous Point. "Can you smell any Dragons about? The map I've got says this is a Thunderdrum hot-spot" Toothless smelt the air, and shook his head.

"**Nothing so far, but I'll stay alert"**

"Good, lets get hunting" Hiccup ran out of the forest and into the radiant sunlight. Horrendous point was a rather small island, nearly half the size of Berk's main island. But unlike his old home, this island had no mountains and snow; it was lush with rolling hills and deep green trees. "Gods, I could get used to a sight like that." Hiccup breathed, staring at the gorgeous forests and shimmering ocean. "Toothless, I'll go hunting for some wild boars; you can go fetch some salmon by the beach"

"**What happened the last time you tried to take on a boar by yourself?"** Toothless let out a gurgling laugh at his, remembering how a wild boar nearly killed Hiccup, and had to be saved by him.

"Toothless I've been practicing since then. I'm sure I can take one down this time" He pouted, gently smacking the Dragon over the ear. "We'll meet back here soon, Bud. Stay safe"

"**You too, Hiccup" **Toothless broke into a light run across the thick grass and down to where the crashing waves met the shore. Hiccup chucked as Toothless pranced out of view; he was astonished at how smart the Night Fury was. He had encountered several Dragons since leaving Berk, but none matched the intelligence and cunning of his best friend. A lot of the time the pair wouldn't even have to speak, they both knew what each other were thinking and acted on it. Hiccup walked the opposite way from his Dragon, back into the forest they slept in. As much as he cared for his friend, he didn't want to completely rely on him; he wanted to prove to himself that he could take down a wild animal, without his Dragon's help.

"Come on, I know you're here, piggy" Hiccup called as he walked around the forest, listening for any signs of life. Over the past few days that he'd left Berk, the boy had made several modifications to his equipment. He had made the blade of his glaive removable, so he could travel safer and practice against Toothless without hurting him. He'd also made some hardened some leather and strapped it to parts of his suit, granting him slight protection from attacks and the weather. A slight rustling could be heard to his left flank, and he knew he wasn't alone. Hiccup could see a wild boar hiding in the bushes nearby, watching him intensely. "There you are big guy. Let's make this quick" The creature that stood before him was massive, easily weighing three times that of Hiccup. Its head was a wash of scars and mud, surviving on this island alongside vicious Dragons meant this beast had to be tough. The boar slowly approached on the boy, staring at him with its beady red eyes. Hiccup twirled the weapon in his hands, before adopting a fighting stance. It was clear this beast was in some sort of blood-lust, from the mad look in its eyes and the deep snorting sound it was making. The boar finally caught the sent of Dragon on the child; it crouched down low and took off charging at him. It saw the boy as a threat, and that was all the motivation needed to try to kill him. Hiccup saw this coming before it happened, and had prepared for it. He quickly sidestepped out of the way, and whacking the boar on the back of its head as it charged past him with the wooden end of the glaive. The creature let out a sharp whine, clearly stunned about missing its target. It quickly turned around- anxious to get another shot at the boy, and burst into a second charge. By now Hiccup was pumped full of adrenaline, confident that he could take down this beast. Thankfully, he had remembered some skills from Dragon Training, and quickly rolled out of the way, causing the boar to miss him and collide into a thick tree. The boy got back to his feet quickly, seeing another opportunity to strike. Hiccup slashed at the hind legs of the boar with the razor edge of his glaive. The boar gave a shriek of pain, having been crippled by the boy. "That all you got, can I have a challenge please?" Hiccup laughed, letting his savage instinct take over. He now had the advantage of both speed and agility, and drove the head of his spear deep into the back of the boar before it could turn for a third attempt on his life. Responding instinctively to such an attack, the animal bucked its hind legs, knocking Hiccup down to the ground with a violent _thud_. The glaive was still lodged in the boar as it turned to face the boy, leaving him without a weapon to defend with. The creature saw its opportunity to strike, and limped its way up to the boy, tusks pointed downwards and ready to finish the boy off. For the first time in the fight, Hiccup felt at the mercy of the beast, he felt a rush of terror as it stalked its way up to him. He reached to his belt for his dagger, and removed it from its sheath, hoping for a final opportunity to present itself. The boar flicked its huge head at the boy in an attempt to impale him with a tusk, giving him a chance at finishing it off. Hiccup grabbed the incoming tusk with his left hand, before moving it aside and driving his dagger in the exposed area of its neck.

The boar retreated, squealing in agony as hot blood gushed out the open wound in its neck. Hiccup got to his feet, also taking several steps back. The beast was finished, no point risking another injury to kill it quicker. Soon enough the giant pig collapsed and was easily finished with a clean stab to the heart. Hiccup leant against a nearby tree, trying to catch his breath. "Yes… I did it!" He placed his foot on the beast's huge gut, "I have taken down this mighty beast!" the boy gave a slight chuckle, remembering the last time he'd said that. He stared down at his blood soaked hands, slightly shocked about what he'd accomplished. Before leaving Berk, Hiccup would never have done such a thing to a seemingly innocent animal, but this was the wild, and it was kill or be killed. "Odin's beard, how are we gonna get this back to camp?" He removed his glaive from the rear end of the boar and wiped the blade clean of blood. He wanted to make sure Toothless was going all right, and left the forest in pursuit him.

o~0~O~0~o

"_By the time you have read this, I will be long gone and hopefully still alive. If I am to perish on my hunt, I ask not that my death be avenged, but simply celebrated. I do not want my memory to be a burden to you, or anyone else._

_Odin watches over me,_

_~Hiccup."_

Stoick the Vast read aloud his son's letter to the table of stunned Vikings, shocked that Hiccup had done such a thing to prove his worth. The chief dropped the letter on the table and fell back into his chair, more surprised than anyone else in the room.

"Send me to Valhalla, why would the boy do a thing like this?" Gobber moaned, burying his face in his one good hand, "What if he never comes back?" Stoick shook his head, a slight smile appearing under his thick orange hair.

"This is Hiccup we're talkin' about. He may be eager to prove his worth, but he's smart as a whip. He wouldn't have done a thing like this unless he was certain he could pull it off."

"What are ya saying Stoick?" Spitelout raised an eyebrow, scratching his greasy black hair.

"I say that we let him do it" the chief announced proudly, looks of bewilderment crossing the faces of all the Vikings.

"Stoick are ye serious? He could be in serious trouble, what if he's dead already?" Gobber asked his friend, especially concerned for the safety of his ex-apprentice.

"Were Vikings, it's an occupational hazard. Besides," He picked up the letter and shook it before the people at the table, "he wants to prove himself worthy for the heir of Berk, and nothing would make me more proud!" Several Vikings nodded in agreement, knowing he was right.

"So that's it, we wait until he returns?" Gobber said, knowing there was no changing Stoick's mind,

"Aye, we'll throw a grand feast when he returns"

"_If _he returns" Spitelout raised an eyebrow, only to be shot a dirty look by his brother-in-law

"_When_ he returns"

o~0~O~0~o

"Toothless! Where are you bud?" Hiccup called out, limping out off the grasslands and onto the gleaming white beach. The boar's buck had caused some serious damage to his chest, giving him troubles with breathing. He took a brief moment to appreciate the view before him. Berk didn't have many beaches, usually sheer cliff faces that countless Vikings had fallen off. Any beaches on his homeland were usually muddy and full of stones- nothing like this island. The sand he stood on was whiter than marble, and littered with beautiful sea shells that shone in the sun. This island was a paradise compared to Berk, and gave Hiccup reassurance that leaving was the right choice. He could see his Toothless down the other end of the beach, alongside another Dragon he couldn't quite make out. Hiccup slightly panicked, he couldn't tell if the two were fighting, and sprinted over to meet them.

As he got closer and closer, it became clear that neither of them were fighting. Hiccup thought they could be communicating, but he wasn't too sure. "Toothless, you all right over there?" He yelled, catching the attention of the two. The second Dragon instantly saw him as a threat, snarling viciously and stepping backwards. Toothless quickly ran up to Hiccup, showing the second Dragon that he was no threat.

"**Hiccup, be careful. This Dragon is especially shy"** he grunted, not breaking eye contact with the unknown Dragon. The boy took a closer look at the Dragon; it wasn't like anything back on Berk. Its body was large and flat, with four tiny legs underneath it. The Dragon opened its mouth to let out another warning- a deep growl this time. The mouth of the beast was massive, filled with plenty of teeth. Hiccup realized this was none other than a Thunderdrum.

"It's okay there, boy. I ain't gonna hurt you" He lowered his glaive to the floor and slowly approached the Dragon. Hiccup remembered he was covered in blood from his fight with the boar, and hoped the Thunderdrum still saw him as peaceful. Hiccup got close enough so that he could smell it's breath of putrid fish, and sat cross-legged on the floor. "See? I'm no threat, I just came to say hi, that's all" Toothless stared at the boy wide-eyed; this Dragon could kill him if he wasn't careful.

"**Hiccup, what are you doing?"**

"Hush hush, Toothless. He won't hurt me, right Thunderdrum?" Hiccup smiled at the Dragon, making no attempt to pick up a weapon and fight. The Thunderdrum lowered its guard, knowing this boy wasn't out to hurt it. "I've read a lot about you, you're quite special, aren't ya?" Hiccup slowly got to his feet and walked right up to the Dragon, making out all of its unique features. The Thunderdrum's skin was a light blue, with several needle-like spines running down its back. Its scales were closer to that of fish, than other reptiles like snakes. Hiccup carefully reached out and placed hand on the Dragon, slightly startling it. Toothless gently growled at the Dragon in an attempt to reassure it.

"**Do not be afraid, this boy is of no harm to you. He couldn't hurt you if he tried"** The Thunderdrum relaxed and let Hiccup touch him. Toothless couldn't help but admire his human companion, and his skills with Dragons. He hoped people where they were going were more like him, and not like the Vikings of Berk. Hiccup gave the Thunderdrum a scratch under its large belly, making it purr like an overgrown cat.

"Well, aren't you something?" Hiccup laughed, before turning to face the Night Fury, "You eaten yet? You'll never guess what happened to me!"

"**Yes, I've eaten. And I can only imagine"** Toothless rolled his eyes, staring at the blood that soaked the boy.

"Okay good, you need to come over to the forest and help me with something" Hiccup gave the Thunderdrum a final scratch, before picking up his glaive and leading his Dragon away, "Nice meeting you, Thunderdrum!"

o~0~O~0~o

"He did _what?_" Astrid blurted, staring madly at Ruffnut.

"Yeah, apparently he left a note on chief's door that explained it all. Snotlout told me cos he overheard his father talkin' about it" She explained. Astrid couldn't believe what she was hearing, out of all the crazy things Hiccup had done, this topped the chart.

"So he's out there _right now_ hunting down a bloody Nightmare. Son of Thor he's really lost it this time. What if he never comes back?"

"I dunno, Astrid. The chief's gonna announce it all shortly, so you'll get your answers then."

"Okay, well thanks Ruff" Astrid finished, "I think I'm gonna take a walk" she got up from her seat at the Meade Hall and walked out, abandoning her hot meal. The Hofferson girl needed to think about the situation alone.

'Why would he do this?' She thought, 'this isn't Hiccup: making a death-or-glory mission like this. He wouldn't risk his life for something like honor' Astrid hobbled down the stairs of the Meade Hall, trying to make sense of everything. She remembered when Hiccup said goodbye to her and the teenagers, three days ago. She thought about how sad he looked, how he showed more affection to Snotlout in those few minutes than in fifteen years; almost as if he _knew _he wasn't going to return.

"Something's not right" Astrid murmured, walking through the streets of Berk. She had to ask someone who knew the boy well, if that was even possible.

o~0~O~0~o

Gobber sat in his workshop, tirelessly hammering away at a new axe he was crafting. This was his third try at completing the weapon, but his mind was elsewhere and he continued to make the simplest of mistakes. Gobber still couldn't believe that Stoick approved of his son hunt down a Monstrous Nightmare, believing his return was certain. He was terrified the small boy wouldn't return, and nobody would ever find out what really happened. A female voice startled the old man, causing him to jump a little and make a fourth mistake.

"Gobber, can we talk a moment?" Astrid stood at the entrance to the store, a firm yet troubled expression across her face.

"Sure lass, what can I help ya with?" He was ordered not to tell anyone about Hiccup until the meeting that night, where everything would be explained.

"I think you know what I'm here for, Gobber" Her eyes looked right through the man's fake expression. He let out a short sigh, before putting the weapon down and facing her.

"So, who told you about it?"

"Snotlout overheard his father. Gobber are they really gonna let Hiccup do it?" She jumped right to the question.

"Astrid, I tried to argue with the chief, I really did. He wants his son to prove himself heir, and he thinks this is a good way of doing it"

"But what if he never comes back?" Astrid blurted, clearly angry about the situation, "If he fought the Dragon in the Kill Ring, we'd know if he lost or won. But if he just runs off into the woods and doesn't return, we'll have no idea what happened!" Gobber stared curiously at the girl, wondering what had gotten into her head.

"Astrid, not to come off rude, but why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean?"

"No offense lass, but you and the other kids haven't been exactly nice to Hiccup these past erm, fifteen years" Astrid's face fell at the mention of that, "and here you are, arguing for his safety. Why are you doing this? It's quite clear you don't like the boy." Astrid felt her insides tighten, as Gobber stared back at her.

"He saved my life Gobber, and I'm trying to save his" She replied solemnly, "I apologised to him the day after the Changewing fight. I swore to him and myself that I would treat him as a friend and a fellow Viking" She stared back at the old blacksmith, revealing a slight smile. "And I'm just doing what any friend would do" Gobber smiled back at the girl, surprised at what she was doing.

"Hiccup would be happy that you're doing this" Gobber nodded, "But I don't think we'll be able to change Stoick's mind. Even if we could, I doubt we'd be able to find the boy out there."

"Yeah, I know. But it's worth a try" The pair lapsed into an awkward silence, unsure what to do next. After what felt like an eternity, Astrid finally worked up the courage to tell Gobber what she came for. "T-There's something else Gobber, something I think you should hear"

"Aye, what else?" He raised an eyebrow. The girl took a deep breath, hoping he would see it like he did.

"Do you think Hiccup would really do something like this?" She asked "This is Hiccup we're talking about, since when did he care about 'Viking Honour' and that stuff? And he lied to me and the others about where he was going, as if he was worried we would try to stop him leaving." Gobber nodded his head in agreement.

"I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed that. I know him more than most, and he definitely wouldn't do this. Stoick is too blinded by pride to see that, which is understandable" Astrid stared out of the Workshop and out to the forest that lay far down the road, knowing Hiccup was out there somewhere. She had broken her arm and leg roughly a week ago, and was strictly told not to do anything dangerous, but that wouldn't stop her.

"I'm going to find him out there."

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup and his Night Fury were back in the air by the time the sun went down. Having eaten their fill of boar and fish, they were back on their Journey south, as far away from Berk as possible. The boy hoped that by now the Vikings had discovered his remains, and were in mourning or something. Toothless was surprised about Hiccup's performance that day, regarding the boar fight. He was hoping his rider would soon be able to defend himself, and finally put his mind at ease.

"**I'm still shocked you took that beast down, Hiccup. Shouldn't have made such a mess though, that blood smells awful" **Toothless grunted, staring at the blood on his friend while grinning. Hiccup also returned the smile, glad he'd impressed the usually stubborn Dragon.

"See bud, I told you I had been practicing! With a bit more training, you won't have to worry about me all the time" The small teen beamed, giving his friend a scratch under the ears.

"**We've still got a long way to go, Hiccup." **He shook his head, smiling at the thought of his rider being a conquering hero.

"Well, we've got a long fly ahead of us. Wanna try some quick maneuvering?" Hiccup offered, trying his best to pass the time. The Night Fury looked back at him and flicked a mischievous smile, before folding in his wings and pulling into a steep dive.

"**Why don't you tell me?"** The Dragon gurgled happily, sticking his tongue out of his mouth as their speed increased.

"Whoa there bud! I'll take that as a yes!" Hiccup laughed, feeling his stomach rise up into his throat. The sun had long since set, making the ocean much harder to see and the rocks even harder to avoid. Hiccup clicked the tail fin into position, causing Toothless to pull out of the steep dive and soar several feet above the sea at staggering speeds. Jagged rock formations lay in front of them, much like the first time they had flown and nearly killed themselves. The teenager reacted instinctively, changing the tail position once again. Toothless executed a perfect barrel-roll, weaving in between the large stones and flying under the natural archway. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Hiccup laughed, clearing the rocks and climbing back into the sky.

'This is where I belong' he thought, reaching into his pack and offering Toothless a fish he'd kept from the island. 'Not on some Viking-infested island, not even amongst people like me. Out _here_ is where I belong, in the sky with Toothless'

"Bud, remember when I asked how we should live out our lives? I think I now know the answer" he breathed, extending out his arm to touch the clouds above him. "I don't want to be held down in some Village, I don't want to have responsibilities. I want freedom, I want to travel the world with you, how's that sound". Toothless gently purred back at his companion, sharing his enthusiasm.

"**That sounds wonderful, Hiccup. Our lives aren't meant to be spent in some silly town. The sky is the only home we need."**

"Glad you agree with me, bud." A small pillar of smoke caught his attention off in the distance, "Um, Toothless do you see that over there?"

o~0~O~0~o

"All right everyone, quieten down!" Stoick boomed in the Meade hall. Nervous chatter filled the room, with every Viking anxious to hear why their chief had held this meeting. "I'm sure you're all wanting to hear why I brought you here today, so I'll make this quick" All conversation ceased, lapsing the entire hall into an eerie silence. Astrid stood towards the very back of the room, leaning against the cold stone wall. She was sure Stoick would announce the 'hunt' his son had embarked on, but any other news she probably didn't know about.

"Are we allowed to be here, Astrid?" Fishlegs stood on her left, clearly nervous yet interested.

"He invited the whole Village here, so that includes us I'd imagine" She replied

"The first announcement is one that gives me great pride" Stoick was clearly excited to announce this, an emotion many people had never seen from the man. "As I'm sure most of you know, my son- _Hiccup_, was selected to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, after his bravery against the Changewing" many people cheered and applauded at the hearing of that, including the twins and Snotlout. "I'm here to announce that there's been a change of plans. My son will not be killing the Dragon in several days time" The room soon filled with cries of disbelief and shock.

"Is he allowed to do that?"

"So what, he's not gonna be a Viking?"

"Let me finish everybody!" The chief re-gained the attention of the hall, "He will not kill _this_ Dragon, because he has set himself an even greater challenge! At this very moment, Hiccup is in the forests. He plans to hunt down a wild Nightmare and bring back his heart!" disbelief and shock were replaced with joy and enthusiasm. Astrid buried her head into her one good hand, groaning in frustration. She hoped that they would have had some concern for the boy's wellbeing and safety, but she soon remembered these were Vikings she was talking about.

"Stoick, what if the lad never comes back?" Someone in the crowd asked, giving the girl some confidence.

"Hiccup would never do something like this, is he wasn't sure he could pull it off" the red-haired chief replied confidently, "He'll return, I'm certain of it. Now on to other news" Astrid tore her gaze off the floor and stared back up at Stoick, unsure of what he was going to say. "Trader Johann brought us some disturbing news of his journey to Berk. He and his crew encountered a Night Fury in broad daylight" several people gasped at this news, but most just sat in a stunned silence, including Astrid and her friends. Never before had a Night Fury attacked in daylight, in fact it had never been seen. "That's not the worst part, folks. Johann and his crew said something else about the Dragon, that…" He took a deep breath, a hint of worriment in his eyes, "… a man was riding the Night Fury" This time nobody said a word, the room was deathly silent. Astrid stared at the other teenagers, finding it hard to breathe. The very thought of a man being able to tame and control such a Dragon left a sense of dread in her stomach that she'd never felt before. Everybody in the room shared her thoughts, imagining the power a man like that had.

"W-What are we gonna do, Stoick?" A random Viking asked. The chief wore a determined expression, doing his best to conceal any form of fear. Astrid didn't catch the man's response, because she had already left the hall and was on her way home.

'What kind of a person betrays their very race?' She thought, 'what if he's already on Berk? He could be in the forests and…' the Hofferson girl stopped dead in her tracks. If the rider really was in Berk's forests, Hiccup was in terrible danger. Astrid broke into a quick hobble, desperate to get back to her house. She originally planned to enter the forests in the morning, but they were abandoned without a second's hesitation.

Astrid would begin her search that evening, and she would stop at nothing to get her friend back.

**Thank you for reading! Remember that if you have any criticisms or ideas you'd like to share, feel free to post a review. Don't forget to favorite if you enjoyed it, and follow if you want to read more!**

**Peace! :-)**


	4. Into The Storm

Trjonn Arnason stared out into the murky waters that surrounded him as far as the eye could see. He and his crew had been at sea now for only three days, yet he was already missing home. As much as he wanted to return to his wife and three children, he knew his place was out here- he had a job to do, and he was determined to see it through. In the past few hours, the wind had picked up considerably, as well as the moisture in the air: a good sign that a thunderstorm was incoming. The gentle _pitter patter_ of footsteps could be heard below deck- his crew had just woken up, having slept in the day.

"Trjonn, we're ready downstairs for ya" said a voice behind him. The middle aged Viking turned to face his friend, Katla. She was one of the few shield-maidens who volunteered to join this solo voyage, and with good reason. Katla was one of the village's best archers, as well as being a sword fighting prodigy.

"Good to hear. I'll be down there in a moment" He breathed, doing his best to stay calm about the job at hand. Katla nodded in acknowledgment, letting a small smile escape her lips. The girl had recently turned fifteen- and despite being a ruthless fighter, still had no visible scars on her body. She turned and walked back downstairs, her coal-black hair gently swaying in the wind. The man still couldn't believe she'd elected herself to go; she was the youngest person by at least three years. Soon enough, Trjonn joined his crew downstairs, ready to finally get this mission underway. "Okay everyone, I hope you've all grabbed a good days rest, it'll be needed" The man had carefully chosen the people who were accompanying him on this job; nine of the fittest and most confident Vikings he knew were selected. "We've got a large storm heading our way; we won't get another shot like this for a long time"

"Any chance our boat will get tipped with waves this size?" A man by the name of Sven asked, raising his eyebrow. The Viking stood at the back of the group, fully dressed in thick leather armor, with a large bow strung across his chest.

"It's unlikely, lad. But that's no promise it won't happen." Trjonn replied, receiving a nod from Sven. "Do I have any other questions?"

"Yeah, I've got one" Katla asked, "what if the beast doesn't show itself?" The shield-maiden rarely asked questions, it was clear that even she was a bit nervous- hardly surprising, it being her first hunt.

"Oh, he'll show himself" he chuckled in response, gesturing to his friends, "who could refuse Vikings as good-looking as us!" the crew laughed at his comment. Trjonn never failed to lighten the mood, despite looking as intimidating as he did. By the time they had settled down, the relentless sound of rain could be heard above. "Okay everyone, it's time. Let's get this done and get home" The Vikings picked up their weapons and walked on outside, to face the horrendous weather before them.

"Beard of Thor, would ya look at the size of that!" Sven pointed up to the monstrous clouds that loomed above them, "Yeah, he'll be coming for sure" Trjonn stared around the deck of his ship one last time, making sure he'd left no metal laying around. The Viking had also removed the boat's sails several hours prior, he wasn't going to risk loosing his only way of getting home.

"Check for metal everyone. If you've got any iron or steel on you, you'll be cooked like chicken" He yelled over the roar of the rain. His crew anxiously checked their bodies, not keen about being killed that night. Without warning, a bolt of lightning was sent shooting across the sky, along with a thunderclap loud enough to startle Odin himself. Any doubt resting in Trjonn's crew was soon flushed away; the beast was definitely here, and it knew they were here as well.

"I hope you're all ready, we'll only get one shot at this!" He and his crew drew their weapons, scanning the sky for any signs of the monster they were hunting. "Call it out if you see 'em. He's bloody fast, and-"

"There he is, Trjonn!" someone said. Everyone on the ship stared in the direction the person was pointing, to make out a whitish-blue object heading straight towards them. The Dragon was traveling on the lightning, making it faster than pretty much everything. Trjonn and several others readied their spears for throwing; they would only have one chance to hit it. As the beast got closer and closer, the crew began to feel their hairs stand on end. It was clear the Dragon was ready for a fight, and so were they.

"Archers, nock your arrows!" Trjonn roared, watching the monster grow brighter as it came closer.

"Draw…"

Katla and the other archers pulled their bowstrings back as far as they could go, aiming at the rapidly approaching Dragon.

"_Loose!_"

The Vikings used everything they had against the creature as it passed over the boat, raw electricity shooting from its mouth. Several of the projectiles made contact with the Dragon, surprising it but no doing any real damage. Katla rolled clear of the lightning attack and quickly launched another arrow as it flew away.

"Trjonn, these stone arrows aren't doing anything!" She shrieked franticly, abandoning her bow and picking up a harpoon. "Half a dozen of them hit the monster and it hardly flinched!" Katla watched as the beast climbed back into the clouds and out of sight.

"We need to get it into the water, lads." Trjonn examined the damage done by the Dragons initial attack. A huge charred gash lay on the deck of the ship; it was a miracle no fires had started from a strike like that. "It won't be able to attack if it's in the sea." The Viking scratched his long brown hair, struggling to contain the situation and his nerves. "Okay... Kali and Sazur, get your hides below deck and bring up the fishing net" he pointed to two of his crew, who immediately dropped their weapons and ran downstairs. The storm was growing worse by the minute, and there was no end in sight.

"He's coming back around!" Sven pointed to another set of clouds west of their location, where the beast could be seen flying towards them for a second dive attack.

"_We need that net now boys!_" Trjonn bellowed downstairs, open panic in his voice. He wasn't sure how many more hits the boat could take, and he didn't want to find out.

"The net isn't gonna work" The Viking turned to face Katla, who was busy tying a large rope to the thick mast.

"What the Hel ya doin' lass!" he asked, "pick up yer bloody spear and get ready for another shot!"

"Those weapons don't do a thing" she paused briefly to look her superior in the eye, "but this will" Trjonn looked back to where the beast was, they had roughly a minute until it was upon them. "The Bog-Burglars use this method to catch wild yaks when-"

"This is a _Skrill_ we're up against, Katla!" Trjonn nearly screamed at the young shield-maiden, "I don't care how dangerous the yaks are over there; this thing eats people, and not grass!" The teenager ignored his words of enthusiasm and tied a large loop on the other end of the rope. She held the rope in her mouth and began to scale the mast.

"Trjonn, you've gotta trust me. If you can keep it occupied, this'll work for sure" Katla reached the crow's nest in what must have been record time. She watched below as the crew prepared for another attack.

"I hope you know what you're doing, girl" Sven shouted, watching the Dragon scream towards them. The Skrill opened its mouth and let more lightning build up for another strike, determined to finish off the ship and her crew. Katla quickly looked at the rope she held in her shaky hands. It was quite heavy, so she'd have to throw it hard and pretty early. It was also very thick, she desperately hoped that it wouldn't snap or break.

"Here it comes, get ready everyone!" Trjonn picked up a new spear and prepared to throw it. Katla watched as the Skrill unleashed a torrent of lightning from its mouth, preparing to fly over the boat like it did the first time.

'Now or never' the thought, hurling the loop-end of the rope off the crows nest and praying to every god she could think of that this would work. Several people threw their weapons as the beast flew over, but most of the crew simply got out of the way and watched as the events unfolded before them. The rope sailed through the sky and caught itself around the Skrill's neck- even better than what she'd had hoped for. The Dragon let out a savage growl, pulling up from its attack in an attempt to escape. Katla stared down at the rope, watching as it rapidly uncoiled itself and followed the creature into the sky.

"_Everyone, grab onto something!_" She yelled, holding the thick mast in a bear-hug position. Within seconds, the rope had successfully snagged on the beast. Katla could feel the mast creak and groan as the entire ship leant dangerously to the right. The Skrill gave a choked roar as it violently lurched backwards, falling helplessly onto the deck of the ship. The Vikings had caught it, but the fight was far from over. The Dragon quickly got to its feet, turning to face its captors. No more hit-and-run attacks, if these people wanted a fight, they'd get one.

Despite going on numerous hunts for this very creature, Trjonn had never seen the beast in full before, let alone this close. The fiend's scales were a rich shade of purple, with metallic horns surrounding its angular head, similar to the Deadly Nadder. Its wings and tail were crowded with dagger-like spines, all of them deadly in their own right. Even though it was a vicious-looking Dragon, it happened to be quite small; it's wingspan slightly longer than the boat's width. Kali and Sazur threw the flimsy fishing net over the exotic beast, cheering in their false sense of victory. Everybody on the boat surrounded the trapped Skrill, spears raised to finish it off. Trjonn gazed at the beast, slightly confused. Never before had this Dragon simply "given up", he thought it was more of a "fight to the bitter, bloody end" type, but he certainly wasn't complaining. The Viking stared into its eyes, trying to make sense of what was wrong with it. The man guessed the rope had strangled it or broken its neck. The Skrill began to return the look, its facial features contorting into a… _smile?_ Trjonn's blood went cold, realization slapping him like a fish. This was one of the smartest Dragons known; it would never let itself get captured like this.

"_Get back_-"

Before Trjonn could finish his sentence, the beast's wings extended in the blink of an eye, tearing away all of its restraints with almost no effort and knocking the Vikings to the ground. Several of the crew were also knocked into the water as the Dragon took back into the air, the remaining people on board could only watch in a mix of awe and horror. The Skrill gracefully hovered above the crew, staring down to them menacingly.

Katla stared at the scene below her, wide-eyed. She desperately wanted to help her colleagues; to jump down there and finish off the monster with a quick stab of the spear, but she _couldn't_. For as long as she could remember she'd heard tales of the power of this Dragon, but only now was she witnessing its destruction first-hand.

And it _terrified_ her.

The Skrill raised its head to the heavens, letting the storm clouds build up above it. The Dragon opened its mouth, and let out a final ear-piercing roar, shaking the ship and threatening to deafen everyone on board. Katla watched numbly as bolts of lighting struck the beast, flowing up its spiny body and leading to its open mouth. The Skrill looked back down at the Vikings, and without a seconds hesitation, unleashed the full extent of its power.

The once seaworthy ship was decimated within moments of the Dragon attacking. Trjonn and his crew madly scrambled out of the way, as it sprayed the deadly lightning all over the place. Katla could feel the mast collapsing beneath her, and leapt into the freezing cold ocean- her only chance of survival. The teenager landed with a heavy _splash_, narrowly avoiding death. Trjonn hadn't felt this way since he was a timid boy, no younger than ten, watching a tavern brawl. He was engulfed by a sense of complete hopelessness, unable to change the situation before him no matter how hard he tried. The man tried to retreat below deck, but the flaming remainders of the mast blocked his way. The Skrill continued to fire relentlessly upon the vessel, killing all those who were directly exposed to the lightning. A small part of Trjonn wanted the beast to take his own life, so that he could join his lost crew members in Valhalla. A far larger part, however, was desperate to cling onto life. He refused to leave this world without seeing his children grow up. Trjonn crawled his way to the side of the ship, and following his friend Katla, toppled into the opaque water.

'Just stay under' the voice in his head begged, sounds of the massacre above fading away. 'If that thing attacks the water, the girl and I are both done'. Katla noticed what he was doing several yards away and also plunged under the raging sea. The teenager had never been in water deeper than her waist, making this experience all the more petrifying. After what felt like an hour of clinging onto their breath, the sounds of the Skrill could no longer be heard; all that remained was the gentle crackle of burning wood. Cautiously, the pair raised their heads out of the water, gasping for air. Much to their luck, the Dragon had grown bored of ravaging the ship and had left, taking the storm clouds with it.

"Trjonn, are you all right?" Katla asked, swimming up to the man. She could see only two people in the water besides her, and prayed there would be more alive on the boat. The amber glow of the fire illuminated the water around them, allowing the pair to quickly check each other for serious wounds. "Yeah I'm…" he struggled to form words, unable to think straight. "…I'm alive. Katla, we've got to… get back on the boat" The teenager led the Viking up to the hull of the vessel, helping him get back on board. Trjonn offered his hand and hoisted her out of the water.

"Well, ain't you two a sight for sore eyes" the two of them turned to face an exhausted Sven, who'd climbed back on from the other side.

"Did you jump off as well?" Katla asked, lying down on the boat and catching her breath.

"No, that monster knocked me and a few others overboard when it broke free. I think we're the only ones who made it" The two men examined what remained of the boat they were on; knowing their chances of getting home weren't looking good. The weather was beginning to die down, meaning the Skrill had left for good, _hopefully_. "Trjonn, what are we gonna do? There's no way we can get back home in this" the man was doing his best to conceal his emotions, but after witnessing so much death, it was almost impossible. "We should have never done this. How was a crew of nine meant to take down-?"

"Enough, Sven" Trjonn shook his head, failing to muster his classic 'smile of encouragement'. "We're going to do the only thing we can: Keep this wreck afloat and pray to Odin that help arrives." The two men lay down next to Katla, staring at the ash-filled sky.

'This is completely my fault' the teenage girl could feel tears brewing in her eyes, and it wasn't from the smoke, 'me and my stupid plan got six of my fellow Vikings killed. I should've listened to Trjonn and never used that Thor forsaken rope'

The three Vikings lay in silence, trying to process what had just happened. Less than an hour ago, they were with their friends, warm in their cabin and anxious to get the hunt underway.

Things had undeniably taken a turn for the worse.

o~0~O~0~o

"Glad you agree with me, bud." A small pillar of smoke caught his attention off in the distance, "Um, Toothless do you see that over there?" Hiccup's Dragon caught sights of the smoke as well, unsure what to make of it.

"**Hiccup, it could be a Viking ship, it could even be from Berk. Best to steer clear of it"** Toothless growled softly, looking away from it and continuing to fly straight.

"Bud, what are you doing?" Hiccup was stunned at his friend's complete disregard, "Look, I know you don't want us to be discovered, and neither do I. But there could be people in trouble; I'm not gonna leaving them to die" Toothless rolled his eyes and reluctantly turned to head towards the smoke. The Night Fury knew he was a stubborn by Dragon standards, but he paled in comparison to his rider. They began the descent down through the clouds and to where they could finally see the source of the fire.

It was a ship. Or at least it _used_ to be a ship.

The vessel below them was in complete ruin, with its mast gone and the deck burnt to ash. Hiccup had watched his father return from hunts for all his life; he recognized a Berk ship very well, and this wasn't one at all. The hull was far too thin, as well having a figurehead he didn't recognize: a woman with a short sword in each hand. The Dragon and his rider cautiously circled the wreck from above, careful not to attract any attention.

"Toothless, I think I see people down there" Hiccup whispered to his friend, who grunted in disapproval. "They look a lot like Vikings, but they definitely aren't from Berk" The boy could tell that they were in trouble, that boat could sink any minute now. He reached behind and opened up his pack to grab a few needed supplies. Hiccup pulled out the blade for his glaive and one of the few pieces of clothing he'd brought with him, a fur hood that could conceal his identity. The scrawny teenager had imagined this scenario a hundred times in his head- where he'd have to reconnect with the Vikings, but never like this.

'How the Hel should I approach them' He thought, removing the wooden part of the glaive from the pack and attaching the menacing piece of steel to it. 'I can't go unarmed, but I don't want to come off as a threat either' Hiccup froze, realizing the rare opportunity that lay before him. For all his life he'd been known as 'Hiccup the Useless, or 'Fish-bone', now it was his chance to change the way the world saw him. He hadn't left Berk, just to be abused by a different group of Vikings. He looked down at his Dragon- a _Night Fury_, and cracked a wide grin. He wouldn't be the shy and nervous boy he was back on Berk; he was determined to leave all remnants of his bitter past behind him.

Sven and Trjonn were hard at work on the ship below, trying to keep it afloat while containing the small fire that was keeping them warm. It had been several hours since the Skrill had destroyed their boat, and since then Katla hadn't said a word, or even looked them in the eye. All she'd been doing was sitting at the rear end of the boat, feet dangling into the water and staring out into space.

"Trjonn, you've gotta talk to her" Sven muttered, quiet enough the she couldn't hear him. "She blames herself for their deaths. If you don't say anything it'll tear her up inside" Trjonn nodded, glancing at the girl.

"Aye, ill talk to her quick" he placed his charred tools on the floor, and slowly walked up to her, wondering what he could possibly say. The Viking sat down adjacent to the teenage girl, not saying anything for a solid minute. "It's not your fault, you know" He broke the silence, staring at her with a sad smile. Katla slowly shook her head, looking away from the horizon and down at the water by her feet.

"Yes it is" she whispered, barely loud enough for Trjonn to hear. "If I hadn't used the rope- just like you told me…" the girl let out a small sniff, tears threatening to appear "…they might still be alive"

"Come on Katla, that isn't true" he reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving his best 'everything's gonna be all right' face. "If anything, It's my fault they aren't with us now. I should have never insisted on a crew count so low" Trjonn could almost see the guilt being lifted off the teenager, greatly relieving him. "And that rope trick you pulled off? Lass, that was fantastic! Next time we go after the beast, we'll use that tactic and kill it for sure" Katla chuckled sadly in response, staring back out to sea.

"I joined this hunt thinking I was prepared. I guess I wasn't ready for this, huh?"

"Hah, nothing can prepare you for these kinda trips" he chuckled back, doing his best to lighten the mood and topic, "I mean did you see the look on my face in the water? I'm fairly sure I soiled my britches" Katla flashed a smirk, imagining someone so well-know for his fighting skills making a mess of themselves. Without warning, the quiet girl's smile was gone, and she had shot to her feet.

"Trjonn, something's out there" she pointed out into the black, "It's a Dragon for sure" In an equally fast motion, the man was on his feet as well, reaching for his dagger- then remembering he'd lost it at sea.

"Are ye sure, Katla? I don't see a thing" he squinted around the water, searching for any signs of movement. "It could have just been-"

Hiccup flew over the burning boat at blistering speeds, evidently alarming the three people on board. The boy hoped that they were unarmed; he didn't want to get in a fight with someone who might know how to actually use a weapon. Toothless resumed circling the burning boat, this time much closer and lower to the sea. Hiccup couldn't help but feel proud as the Vikings stared at him in utter disbelief. He took a deep breath, fighting to keep his nerves at bay.

'Okay Hiccup, don't forget: We're not weak, and nor are we useless. Prove it to them'

"Toothless, don't forget your manners when landing" The Night Fury flew over to the boat, hovering several yards above the burnt deck.

Trjonn couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. He'd never seen a Dragon like this, especially in these waters, but that wasn't what really shook him to the core.

Someone was _riding_ the damned creature.

The Dragon flew above the deck they stood on; much like the Skrill had done earlier that night. The rider stared down at the man and his crew as if they were a bug to be stepped on, knowing that they had all the power. Trjonn did the only thing he could think of: he raised his hands above his head in submission, and took several steps back. Sven also followed suite, knowing he wouldn't stand a chance against the beast with a proper weapon. Toothless quickly retracted his wings, mid air, causing him and his rider to land heavily on the deck and rock the entire boat.

Hiccup wanted to make an entrance, and he did just that.

Katla watched with a gaping mouth as the person atop the Dragon removed his hood and stared at Trjonn. The riderwas a boy, looking no older than her and with a glaive in his hands- a weapon she recognized back home. The he didn't look to be very tall or well-built, but his emerald green eyes and emotionless face were more than enough evidence that he meant business. The rider unhooked his harness from his Dragon and slid off the saddle, onto the wooden floor.

Hiccup unconcernedly leant against his weapon, almost as if he was bored, giving the boat a quick run-down. They would need his help in getting home; perhaps they would reward him if he did so.

"Well," He quipped, raising an eyebrow "this is a nice mess you've got yourselves here"

"Is that a…" Sven stuttered, wide-eyed and the shadowy creature next to the boy

"A _Dragon?_ Indeed it is, good eye" Hiccup said sarcastically, "His name is Toothless, why don't you say hello to them, bud?" The Night Fury gave a guttural snarl, bearing his teeth at the horrified Vikings. His seemingly cheerful voice vanished, and was replaced by a deeper, more serious tone. "Throw any weapons you have overboard, and no harm will come to you" Hiccup didn't show it, but he was just as terrified as them. If they charged at him from this close, his Dragon wouldn't be able to stop them killing him.

"We're all unarmed, and we aren't lookin' for a fight" Trjonn replied, doing his best to emphasize that they weren't a threat. Never in his life had he ever heard of someone capable of taming and riding a Dragon. It was a wild prospect, and one that truly scared him.

"Good to hear, I didn't come searching for one. I saw the smoke from miles away and figured I should check it out." Hiccup could see the relief fill their eyes, and smiled slightly. "Mind telling me what the Hel happened here?" He lowered himself onto one knee and ran a single finger through the soot at his feet. "Whatever it was, it gave you guys quite the thrashing"

"We were…" Trjonn licked his lips nervously, unsure of what to say. If he told the boy they were hunting a Dragon, he might not be too pleased with them. Before he could finish his sentence, Toothless put his head to the floor smelled for any unknown scents. Hiccup watched in confusion as friend staggered back, roaring wildly at the three Vikings.

"Hey, bud what's wrong?" He asked, placing a hand on the Dragon's head.

"**A Dragon did this, one I'd hope to never see again"**

"You people mind telling me what he's smelling?" Hiccup asked suspiciously, his tone holding no emotion.

"We were hunting a Dragon" Trjonn answered "It has been terrorizing our village for decades, and we were trying to put a stop to it"

"It was a Skrill" Katla butted in, wanting to make sure this person knew the full story before he acted on them, "This thing doesn't steal food, it kills our people without reason" Hiccup was taken back slightly at the mentioning of the legendary storm Dragon. He remembered Stoick explaining it many years ago:

"_Son, be thankful the Skrill is rare in these parts, it's one of the deadliest Dragons we know of. It's never shown any interest in food, it simply kills Vikings because it can. It's the only beast that can raise a candle to the Night fury"_

"I've heard many things about that Dragon. Nothing good, sadly" Hiccup nodded; "If you were hunting any other species, we might not be having this conversation" The boy got back to his feet and brushed his hands clean. "I can help you three get back home. My friend over here" gesturing to the Night Fury, "-can tow a large piece of the ship"

"Wha- really?" Trjonn asked incredulously "Well, yeah. That would save our lives!" The man's prayers had been answered, it had been less than six hours and they were already being rescued. "My name's Trjonn by the way," He pointed to the other man, who had short blond hair "That's Sven. And that's Katla" Hiccup did his best not to look too interested, but he couldn't help but admire the girl before him. Katla looked around his age, with jet-black hair matching the night sky. She had what some would call an 'elven' face, lacking in creases and a strong jaw line.

She was stunning.

"And what's your name?" She asked, smiling ever so slightly. Hiccup snapped out of his trance and thought for a second. What should he say?

'Cut all ties to Berk. I am not Hiccup the useless anymore'

"Many people have called me many things" He responded vaguely, remembering a word he came up with on Berk. "As for you three, you can call me Fjalar"

"Okay… Fjalar" Trjonn walked up to the boy, ignoring the Dragon's menacing growls and extending out his hand. "If you can get us home, we'll forever be in your debt" Hiccup hushed his friend and shook the man's hand, smiling back at the Viking.

"Let's not waste any time, then"

o~0~O~0~o

"Hiccup, where are you?" A lone voice echoed through Berk's forests, the voice of Astrid. The cold had begun to get to her, and her sense of direction had seemingly vanished. Nevertheless, the blond-haired shield maiden continued on her search for the boy. "Hiccup, we need you back at Berk _now_, it's not safe out here!" She prayed to Thor that the Dragon rider hadn't found him yet. Astrid still couldn't wrap her head around why he would do something like this.

'Hiccup the honorable' she smirked at how crazy that sounded. Astrid had pondered many reasons why he would hunt a wild Nightmare, with one answer being _her_. The shield-maiden could remember dozens of times where she'd insult his fighting skills.

"_Hiccup, I can only imagine if you ran into a Dragon in the wilds" She laughed, shoving the boy as he stumbled past her. "You wouldn't stand a chance"_

Astrid could feel regret build up in her throat, making her feel sick.

Could she be the reason he's doing this? To prove her insults wrong?

She limped through the forest with determination. She wasn't going to be the reason behind his death, not a chance in Hel. "Hiccup please! We need you back-" Astrid let out a surprised gasp as she lost her footing, collapsing onto the cold mud. Slowly- painfully, she picked herself up; thankful nobody was around to watch her. "Son of a bitch, I hate this" She wiped her face clean and looked at the thin trail of dirt leading downhill.

_A pathway_.

"So, this is where Hiccup went everyday during after training" she mused, cautiously walking down the slippery trail. After following the winding path for a few minutes, Astrid found herself at the entrance to a large grove, beautiful if not for the eerie silence that clouded over it.

"Hiccup, are you here?" She hissed, crawling under a shield that was lodged between two rocks. Astrid felt a chill run up her spine, as she stumbled about the grove. Something had happened here, she simply knew it. The teenager examined the grass around her; it was littered with tracks, mostly human.

'He's definitely been here and recently' she thought, before her gut did a somersault.

_Mostly_ human.

Astrid felt light-headed as the looked up and took in her full surroundings- the trees, the bushes and the rocks. Everything she could see was awash with blood, even the lake she stood by.

"Oh gods" she moaned, frantically walking around for any signs of the boy. "_HICCUP!_" By now she was yelling, almost screaming his name. Astrid couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. Someone had _died _here, and recently. The girl walked up to a large boulder resting on the grass, a glint in the moonlight catching her eye. She removed a sharp piece of metal, caught in the rock. Astrid examined it in the little light there was, struggling to hold it with her shaking hands. She'd seen this before, many times actually.

It was a dagger, _Hiccup's_ dagger.

The tiny weapon fell from her hands, landing back on the stone with a careless _clink_. Astrid felt her knees buckle, collapsing to the floor. The gentle sound of sobbing echoed through the grove, as Astrid faced the undeniable truth.

Hiccup had fought here. He'd fought and he'd lost.

**Heyo everyone!**

**Thanks again for reading chapter 4 of my story, just like to ask you lovely viewers a couple of things. Firstly, how did you like the new layout? As I'm sure you noticed, there were far less 'scene changes' in this chapter, I did this to add more detail and introduce the new characters better. On the subject of new characters, how did you like them? **

**Feel free to share your opinions; I'd love to know what you thought of my writing! As always, expect the next chapter in a week or two. Stay awesome and thank you for over 120 follows!**

**Peace! :-)**


	5. The Red Herring

**Hello readers! Just a quick thing I'd like to say before we kick off the chapter. I'm looking for a _permanent reviewer_- someone who can private message me their opinion after I've published each chapter. Having a person like that would greatly help my writing, and would be an excellent way of figuring out what I'm doing good or bad. If you're interested please message me, now please enjoy!**

o~0~O~0~o

Astrid wanted to. But she couldn't.

She tried to leave the grove the night before, to tell Stoick what she'd found, but the girl simply couldn't bring herself to do it. Astrid had failed Hiccup; she failed her promise to treat him as a friend and a Viking. Friends always had each others back- the boy had her back when she was at the Changwing's mercy, and where was she when the Dragon killed him?

"I'm sorry Hiccup" she moaned, tears freely flowing down her face as she clutched the petty dagger in her trembling hands. Astrid couldn't care less about her fearless reputation, or what everyone thought of Hiccup. His death was on her, and there was nothing she could do to take it back. The shield-maiden could feel the morning sun on the back of her neck- she hadn't slept at all last night. The addition of sunlight gave her a much better of the awful scene around her, revealing things she hadn't noticed earlier. The grass several yards away was littered with pieces of torn cloth- yet another thing once owned by Hiccup. Astrid choked back the few tears she had left, picking up the cloth and scrunching it in her hands. She also couldn't help but notice several smooth black objects next to the fabric. Astrid assumed they were Dragon scales- but unlike any she'd seen before. The trembling Viking picked several of the scales and pocketed them, along with the torn cloth. She had to tell the chief about this, but how would she break it to him?

'Is there an easy way to explain how your son was killed' she thought, crawling under the shield and leaving the Thor-forsaken grove and preparing for the confrontation with her village. Astrid took a deep breath, as she climbed back up the pathway, thinking of how she would tell Stoick. 'I will not break down, not in front of the chief.' She told herself, before an image of Hiccup entered her mind. She saw his eyes- a deep shade of green, staring right at her with his signature 'half-smile', that he gave every time he came up with an idea. Astrid's vision blurred once more, tears clouding her sight and emotion crushing her insides.

'Odin, give me strength'

o~0~O~0~o

Dagmal was always Gobber's favorite of the two meals of the day. He was certain there was nothing better than a huge bowl of food after a long night's rest, and it seemed that most of Berk agreed with the peg-legged man. The Meade Hall was practically silent, with the only sound being the clinking of glasses and the complaining of Mr and Mrs Hofferson.

"-We haven't seen her since last night. Stoick, someone told me they last saw her head into the forest!" Astrid's father pleaded, clearly worried. "Chief, what happened if she ran off after Hiccup? If that Dragon rider is on Berk they could be in serious trouble"

"You need not worry, my friend" Stoick laughed, "Your daughter is one of the fiercest warriors Berk has ever seen. Anything she runs into down there will regret meeting her!" The concerned man's brown furrowed, not yet convinced. "Okay, look. My son is expected to return tonight, if Astrid isn't home by the time she is, I'll send out a search party."

"Thank you Stoick" He nodded, relieved to have a plan in case his girl didn't show up. He and his wife returned to their seats, leaving Stoick and Gobber to themselves.

"Ya think she's all right?" Gobber asked, curious as to why the shield-maiden hadn't returned home that last night.

"The girl's been gone for half a day. I'm sure she's fine" the chief replied, looking at the teenagers quietly talking several tables away.

"Uh, not sure if you guys know this, but Gobber has offered us a few extra training sessions in the Kill Ring" Fishlegs said with a mouth full of mutton.

"That's… gross" Ruffnut shuddered, watching the large boy practically inhale his food. "But what's the point? It's not like we're allowed to kill the Nightmare"

"Maybe, that we don't get killed in the next raid?" Snotlout replied, rolling his eyes "I don't need the training- 'cos I'm all ready as good as it gets, but you three do" he pointed at the twins and Fishlegs, his smug expression planted across his face

"Yeah keep talkin' Lout" Tuffnut grinned, "Why don't we go down to the arena after Dagmal and find out how-"

_BANG!_

Heads turned and all conversation ceased as the gigantic doors of the Meade Hall opened ever so slightly. Murmurs broke out as Astrid entered the room, every Viking on Berk staring at her.

"What the Hel…" Ruffnut breathed, staring at her. Never before had she- or anyone seen the girl like this. Her hair was a complete mess, and her skin was alarmingly pale. There were huge bags under her eyes, implying she hadn't slept much. Her face was also a slight shade of red, something that left Tuffnut bewildered.

'Has she been… _crying_?' she thought, shifting her position to get a better view.

Stoick the Vast- evidently oblivious to her appearance rose out of his chair and greeted her with a booming voice.

"Well, if it isn't Astrid!" He chuckled, pointing at the girl's parents to his left "Yer parents thought you'd run off with Hiccup for some reason!"

_Hiccup_

That single word, along with the cheeriness of the man's voice, was what ruined the blond girl. Stoick raised an eyebrow at the girl as she remained frozen to the spot, incapable of speaking. "Astrid..? Everything all right?" he asked. Her bottom lip began to tremble, as if she'd been reduced to an infant. Then something truly shocking took place.

She began to cry.

Many of the Vikings- her parents and the teenagers included shot out of their seats as the girl fell to her knees, openly sobbing in front of the entire village. Berk had a tough policy regarding weakness and crying- they were Vikings after all, but none of that was considered for even a second. This was _Astrid_ who was in tears, one of the best Vikings known. Whatever had happened, it was big.

"Astrid! What the Hel happened?" Her mother shrieked, trying to get her mess of a daughter back on her feet. Her crying only got worse as more and more people crowded around her, going from quiet sobs to bawling like a two year old.

"_He's… He's gone_" She wept, her voice echoing throughout the hall.

"Who's gone?" Stoick asked, alarmed by the girls state, "Astrid you need to calm down, who's-"

"_Hiccup… He's dead_" As wave of gasps surged through the people around her, "I… I found him. Where he was…" Astrid couldn't finish her sentence, by now she was crying so hard she felt light headed. Stoick felt his limbs so numb and his mouth go dry at the news. There was no way that his son had been killed; surely the Gods didn't hate him that much? The chief took a step back, having to lean against a table to stay on his feet.

"No… It can't be" He whispered, shaking his head and trying to reject the thought "Not Hiccup, not after Val…" Stoick reached down and grabbed Astrid, shaking her shoulders wildly. "_Where_! Where is he?"

"A-A grove" she managed to choke out, "In the forest. South…" The chief let go of the terrified girl and barged through the crowd, leaving the Meade Hall in search of his son.

"Stoick, slow down will ye?" Gobber yelled, hobbling after the red haired Viking into the forest.

o~0~O~0~o

"So Fjalar, are there many people like you?" Katla asked, staring at the Dragon rider curiously.

"Not that I know of, no" Hiccup replied, giving his Night Fury a scratch under the chin, "I'm almost surprised nobody has tried this earlier. Having a Dragon companion has many benefits" Toothless and the four people were sitting around a small fire, atop a large piece of the ship that he'd been towing the night before. "You feelin' all right bud? You're stronger than you look" the boy laughed, before facing the Vikings and resuming the conversation.

"Where are you from?" Trjonn asked, examining Hiccup's leather armor for any giveaway.

'I'm not Hiccup the Useless anymore, and I'm not from Berk' he thought, quickly thinking of something to say.

"A village, far away from here" he replied nonchalantly, "Sadly they were nothing like me. They killed Dragons for sport and would have executed me if they found out I'd befriended one. I faked my death several days after I was selected to kill a one of them"

"That sounds terrible; you don't miss them at all?" Sven asked, surprised of how lightly he was taking his self-exile.

"Not too much, if I'm honest. Most of the people there made fun of me and treated me badly" Hiccup answered, a hint of sadness crossing his face. "There are a few that treated me well, those people I think about every day" Hiccup had regretted leaving Gobber without saying farewell. He hoped the old man was doing well in the forge without him.

"It must be lonely, having nobody to call your kin" Trjonn shook his head, "Fjalar, you've saved our lives by doing this, and for that you're welcome to stay in Helgafjall for as long as you want"

"Helgafjall? That's your village I'll take it?" Hiccup asked, trying to change the topic as quick as possible. He never enjoyed a person discussing his bitter relationships, especially after all that's happened.

"Yeah, a bit more west and we'll be there. We should be able to see it on the horizon soon. You and your friend will be treated with the respect you deserve" Sven offered, admiring the beast in front of him.

"My friend, meaning Toothless?" Hiccup asked incredulously, "Your people have no trouble with Dragons walking about?"

"Our village is neutral with his kind" Katla gestured to the Night Fury "sure, they kill one of ours every now and again, and we kill one of theirs. But most of the time we just ignore each other. The only Dragon that gives us real trouble is the Skrill" Hiccup was shocked at how this village he'd never heard of was doing so well with the 'Viking's worst enemy'

"Wow, Berk could learn a thing or two from your people" the boy chucked, before silently cursing to himself. He'd been going very well in concealing his identity up until then.

'Always gotta mess things up, don't ya?' he thought to himself

"_Berk_? Why the Hel would you go to that awful place?" Trjonn gawked at Hiccup, "Everybody knows the only people who live there are lunatics"

"What makes you think that? Not that I disagree with you or anything"

"It's by far the closest island to Helheim's Gate, and the fools there wonder why they get attacked." Sven laughed. Hiccup thought about it for a second, the man's words making sense. "Something about those clouds, the Dragons there are unlike anything else. They'll attack anything that moves, it's a marvel any of those Hooligans are still breathing"

"Can you tell me more about this home of yours?" Hiccup quickly cut in. The last thing he wanted to hear was the imminent death of his ex-tribe. "Do you have a clan name or something?"

"Aye, we're known as the 'Free Folk'" Trjonn nodded, "We're only a few generations old, so it's unlikely you've heard of us"

"Yeah, that name is unfamiliar to me" Hiccup said, staring at Trjonn and Sven. The boy couldn't help but notice their slender and athletic bodies. "Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but you guys don't strike me as Vikings. People around here tend to have much more, y'know" He gave his belly a pat, grinning slightly.

"I'll take that as a compliment" Trjonn laughed in return, "It's 'cos we aren't really Vikings, Fjalar. Our forefathers hailed from a foreign land called 'Constantinople'. They were slave fighter there, forced to kill for the entertainment of others. When they escaped that awful place they settled in the Barbaric Archipelago, and we've been here ever since."

"We're basically refugees, so that's why we're called the 'Free Folk'" Katla shrugged her shoulders casually.

"Whoa, well that explains me not knowing the figurehead on your boat." Hiccup commented, standing up and giving his limbs a stretch. He was surprised how comfortable he was around these people in the few hours they'd been acquainted, and hoped more people would be like them at Helgafjall.

'Maybe if I stay there, I could teach them all about Dragons, and they could train them like me' Hiccup thought, enjoying the image of a village finally treating their kind with respect and kindness.

"Okay bud, you ready to get back to it?" He asked Toothless, who snorted reluctantly and lowered his shoulder for Hiccup to get on. "We'd continue flying. Best you people hold onto something!" The Dragon and his rider flew back into the sky, with a short rope connecting them to the piece of the boat.

"He seems like a nice kid" Sven commented "He's taking a big risk by rescuing us. I hope we can repay him"

"Aye, maybe if we're lucky he could help us take down the Skrill. I'll have to ask him when they next have a break" Trjonn nodded, smiling as the huge beast began to tow the piece of wood through the deep blue sea. Katla stared up into the sky, at Hiccup and his Dragon. She was mesmerized by the freedom and independence he had, and imagined what it would be up there in the heavens.

Katla quietly giggled to herself, 'Not to mention he's pretty cute'

o~0~O~0~o

Stoick the Vast hurtled through the thick forest as fast as he could, calling out for his son to return, the same way Astrid did the previous night.

"_HICCUP!_" He roared, trampling small trees and sending rocks flying. He refused to believe that his son- his _only_ son had been killed by a Dragon, the same way his beautiful wife died all those years ago. Regret was beginning to gnaw the man insides out as he made his way to the grove he'd seen his son by nearly a week ago. He should have never approved of this, what kind of a father would let his son risk his life for a sliver of 'honor'? "Hiccup, please come home!" Stoick was still in a state of shock and denial, he wasn't prepared to say goodbye to his son when things were finally starting to look up.

Soon enough the chief had located the entrance to the grove, having wandered aimlessly for a number of minutes. Stoick kicked the iron shield lodged in the stones, snapping it in two pieces that flew into the small lake before him. He didn't need to look twice to know that this is where it happened: bloodstains splattered the grove and Hiccup's dagger lay beside a small boulder.

Yet the boy was nowhere to be found.

"Stoick, there ya are" An exhausted Gobber hobbled his way into the grove to join his friend, taking a moment to catch his breath. "You need to just calm down and…" The one-legged Viking trailed off into silence, having looked up and taking in the gravity of the situation. "Son of Odin… What happened here" The chief picked up the dagger and examined it, doing his best to remain positive.

'My son isn't here, perhaps he was just injured and somewhere else' he repeated over and over in his head. The blade in the man's hands was clearly Hiccup's, nearly identical if not for the murky red blood that coated it. Stoick gripped the tiny weapon tightly in his hands, before turning to face Gobber.

"We can't loose hope, maybe he's wounded and nearby" the chief stuttered before resuming his panicked yell, "_HICCUP_, where are you-"

"Stoick, please no more" Gobber cut him off, shaking his head slowly in sorrow. "He's… Astrid was right… He's gone" The blond-haired Viking felt tears brim his eyes, as he finally accepted the awful truth. There was no way Hiccup could be alive with this much bloodshed. The man's words echoed inside Stoick's skull. "_He's gone._" The chief hadn't felt this way since his wife was taken; his hopes and dreams had been crushed under the weight of the world. For nearly fifteen years, the man had treated his son with next to no respect and hardly any attention. All Hiccup ever tried to do was prove his father that he wasn't a burden, and risk everything to make him happy. Stoick remembered the letter his son left him.

"_This will prove to you and all Vikings on Berk that I am worthy of being both your son and heir."_

Hiccup's death was on _him_, and there was nothing he could do about it. Stoick wished he could talk to his son, tell him how being chief wasn't about proving yourself, but making good decisions and smart thinking- everything he was. Everything he _used to be_.

"No…" He whispered, staring down at the ground miserably "I did this"

o~0~O~0~o

It had been nearly an hour since Gobber had ran off after Stoick into the forest, and Astrid had finally re-gained her composure. Many of the Vikings who were originally consoling her had left, and instead joined the search for Hiccup, leaving only the teens to talk to her in the Meade Hall.

"We should have never treated him so poorly" Fishlegs felt awful about the news, he being one of Hiccup's only friends. The large boy remembered a time when he and Hiccup were the best of friends, but as time went on Fishlegs was bullied for being around the boy, and soon stopped talking to him "I'd do anything to bring him back"

"Yeah, like remember his ideas?" Ruffnut added, "I mean they didn't work, but they were still smart and stuff. And our jokes, I mean, they weren't that bad, were they?"

"He was different, and that's why we hurt him" Astrid breathed deeply, determined to not shed another tear "I made him a promise, you know? I told him I'd treat him as a friend, after he saved my life; that I'd have his back and treat him properly" She buried her head into her hands, "And now he's gone. I should have been there, at his back- just like he had mine"

"Don't do that to yourself, Astrid. You didn't know he would do something like this, nobody would" Fishlegs shook his head furiously, "Right guys?" Everybody nodded in agreement- all with the exception of Snotlout. The Jorgenson boy simply stared at the table he sat on; completely lost in thought and imagination. Could this mean he gets his wish, becoming the heir of Berk? Snotlout admitted he was a bit sad at the death of his own kin, but his grief was far outweighed by the possibilities the lay in front of him.

'No Hiccup' he thought, wanting to be sad at never seeing his baby cousin, but failing to see any negatives 'No screwing up, no escaping Dragons, no lousy heir'

"Hey, you in there?" Tuffnut gave the stocky boy a light push, snapping him out his self-centered daze. Snotlout rose from his seat and briskly made his way out of the vast room.

"I… I need to think, I'm sorry guys" The black-haired Viking opened the huge wooden doors and left the teenagers to themselves.

"He must be taking Hiccup's… death, pretty hard" Astrid winced, still having trouble accepting that the boy was gone. "I'm almost glad he's showing a little emotion, I thought he hated him"

"He does, but he's still family" Ruffnut said, taking the now vacant seat. "I'm sure he just needs some fresh air"

"I hope so" Astrid felt a bulge in her jacket, and remembered the things she brought from the grove. "Fishlegs, I-I need you to do something" She pulled out the cloth and scales and put them in the boy's hands, giving him a moment to examine them.

"Are these..?" Fishlegs recoiled his hands in an instant, letting them fall to the ground as if they were poison "No, Astrid please keep that away from me" Apart from Astrid, Fishlegs was the most traumatized about Hiccup's death, and seeing the burnt remainders of his tunic only made him feel worse.

"Please, Fish. I don't think it was a Monstrous Nightmare that… killed him" Astrid let out a short sniff, picturing the grove she was in just hours ago. She bent down to pick up the scale and cloth, offering it to Fishlegs a second time. "This scale, I've never seen it before. And the burns on the cloth are also new to me" The boy reluctantly took the items into his hands, staring at them. "I need to know what did this, I'm going to hunt the beast down and finish what Hiccup started"

"I… Okay, Astrid" Fishlegs could feel himself crying as he gripped the last remnants of his friend and sat back down, watching as the shield-maiden left the room.

"I need some time alone; I'll be back… probably"

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup- or Fjalar, could make out an island off in the distance. It had nearly been a full day of flying and even Toothless was beginning to feel tired. He was very excited to meet this foreign tribe, as well as nervous to bring his "friend" along with him. Hiccup hadn't told the others about his fantasy, of a world where man and Dragon could live in peace.

'Maybe if I'm lucky, I could teach them to train Dragons themselves' the boy thought to himself, 'I'll show these people just how misunderstood they really are'. He turned around to stare down at the three people behind, proud to announce their progress.

"Trjonn, I can see land west of here! It's a fairly large island, could it be Helgafjall?" He asked

"Aye lad, I think you should give your friend a break!" The tall man laughed; "We'll arrive there in the morning, If we show up after dark, people might think it's a night-raid" Hiccup was in no position to argue. Despite looking effortless, riding a Dragon took a surprising amount effort and concentration, and the boy was exhausted. The rope Toothless was holding slackened as him and his rider slowed down, until the piece of wood they were dragging came to a halt in the water. Hiccup and his Dragon landed gently on the makeshift raft and stretched out their limbs.

"Good to be on my two feet again" the boy chuckled, his back popping as he leant back to stare at the sky. "I've been meaning to ask you three about the Skrill that attacks your town"

"That beast is a nasty little shite" Sven commented "killed more of our men than I can count"

"Sadly true" Trjonn nodded, before facing Hiccup and offering a fish he'd caught that day. "What do ya wanna know about it, Fjalar?"

"I'm not sure, why could it be attacking you?" Hiccup asked, taking a bite of the fish and offering it to Toothless.

"We honestly don't know, boy. It's been attacking us since we settled here, and it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon"

"Could you be on its nesting ground?" Hiccup proposed, "Maybe it's trying to re-take its home back from your people"

"That's a possibility" Trjonn nodded "But our people thought of that years ago. Many have searched the island for a 'nest' of some sort, but have all come up empty-handed" 'Fjalar' thought about what they were saying, and how little sense it made to him.

"Okay, so 'lemme get this straight" the boy said, letting the Night Fury finish the rest of the fish, "This thing, it attacks by itself, on a regular basis. It never steals food; it only kills people with no apparent reason."

"That's the basics of it" said Katla, joining in on the conversation. "We've tried everything to make it leave, our only option left is to kill it" A smile oozed across Hiccup's face, as he came up with an idea.

"I don't suppose you've tried taming it?" he asked quizzically, watching as Trjonn and Sven cracked a grin. "I might be able to help you people with your 'Dragon problem'"

"We were just about to ask you that" Trjonn beamed "If you can make friends with him-" he pointed at Toothless, who was happily snoring at Hiccup's side. "-how hard can the Skrill be?"

"Um, Fjalar, what species is he?" Katla questioned, admiring the obsidian-scaled beast "There aren't many Dragons back at Helgafjall, and I've never seen one like him before"

"He's a Night Fury" Hiccup tried to sound as casual as possible, but he couldn't hide his grin as Katla's jaw hit the floor. "At first he was a little uneasy around me, but now he's my best friend"

"The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself" Sven shook his head in disbelief. "The Night Fury is only a myth back home; I didn't even think they were real!"

"Gods above Fjalar, I see why you left now" Trjonn breathed, "Viking tribes would go to war for the honor of killing this Dragon, and would have your head if you said otherwise" Hiccup grunted in agreement, imagining the look on his father's face as he realized the truth. "If you can help us with the Skrill, the entire town will be forever in your debt. I'll do everything in my power to make sure your stay is as enjoyable as possible"

"Thank you Trjonn, it means a lot to have someone look out for you like that" Hiccup said in appreciation. In the past day these three people had treated him with more dignity and respect than his entire ex-tribe had in fifteen years, he was determined to repay them in dealing with the Skrill. Hiccup picked up his pack off the floor and reached into it, pulling out the last of his salted meats and bread. "This is all I've got left, if we're lucky it'll make us through the night" he spilt the food between the four of them and got the fire starting again, with a little help from Toothless. "Maybe I could show your people the truth about Dragons; they aren't the mindless beasts the Vikings think they are"

"I like the sounds of that" Trjonn agreed, "Like you said previously: having a Dragon to call friend could prove incredibly beneficial"

After a short meal and further conversation, the sun dipped under the horizon, sending the two older men to sleep and leaving Katla and Hiccup to talk to themselves for the first time.

"You don't feel like sleeping? It's been a long day" Hiccup asked, referring to Trjonn and Sven, who were snoring loudly several yards away.

"Nah, I'm more of a stay up and sleep in person" Katla smirked, shuffling closer to the crackling fire for warmth.

"So, you know about me, yet I don't know too much about you. What's your story?"

"Nothing all that important, if I'm honest. I was orphaned at age three; I live alone in one of the smaller houses at Helgafjall"

"_Orphaned?_" Hiccup repeated, wide-eyed "Gods Katla, I'm so sorry. I assumed Trjonn was your father or something" The boy remembered the pain and suffering he had to endure when he realized what had happened to his mother. He could only imagine the grief she felt to have both her parents leave her forever.

"Its okay, Fjalar, and you aren't the first person to think that" Katla replied, staring at Trjonn with a slight smile "He's a good man. Ever since my parents died he's been there for me- he basically adopted me until I was twelve"

"And when was that exactly..?"

"Three years ago, I'm fifteen now. How old are you?"

"Me too, I'm sixteen on the third day of spring" Hiccup grinned back at the black-haired girl. Any thoughts he had of being attracted to Astrid had abandoned him, and were replaced by Katla. Not only was this new girl more attractive than her, she was easy-going and great company to say the least. "What's a girl like you doing out here hunting the Skrill?"

"Well it's not like my parents are gonna say otherwise?" She raised an eyebrow, before lowering her voice to a whisper, "I thought I was ready to take the creature on. The Skrill took my parents life and I was determined to avenge them and everyone else" she flung her hands in the air, gesturing to the empty sky and open waters that surrounded them, "Now look what I've gotten myself into" Hiccup heard Katla's voice crack as she finished the last sentence, it was obvious that she was still traumatized about the events of yesterday.

"Hey there, none of this is your fault. Nothing could have prepared you for something like this" Hiccup shuffled closer to her and awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I don't know you all that well. But what I do know is that you're one strong person to have made it this far. We're going to get to Helgafjall, and everything will be fine, I swear on it"

"T-Thanks, Fjalar" Katla let out a short sniff, before brushing her raven hair out of her face. "I'm grateful at least someone is willing to talk to me"

"Right back at ya" Hiccup grinned sheepishly, taking his hand off her and bringing them closer to the fire. The small boy could hardly believe himself: here he was, chatting confidently with one of the most attractive girls he'd ever met.

If only his ex-tribe could see him now, their reaction would be priceless.

Hiccup couldn't help but think of Astrid as he continued to talk to Katla. Sure, the blond-haired shield-maiden was good looking and a fierce warrior, but she had easily one of the worst personalities he knew. Everything she ever did was to increase her reputation as a 'Dragon-slayer', and nothing out of kindness and good faith. Hiccup hadn't forgotten her apology after he saved her life, but he still had his doubts about whether she meant it. _Katla_ on the other hand, was a completely different person. It was clear to him that the girl had a troubled past, yet still remained friendly and positive to a stranger such as himself. Not only that, Hiccup found Katla better looking that Astrid; her jet-black hair that flowed freely down her shoulders and curious smile sent shivers down his spine.

"So how'd you meet 'Toothless'? He seems pretty friendly for a Dragon" she looked over Hiccup's shoulder to admire the sleek beast, almost invisible under the night sky. "I must admit, this isn't exactly how I imagined him"

"Yeah, about that" Hiccup sighed, embarrassed to tell her the story. "I shot him down one night, with a machine I made"

"You _shot _him? Well that isn't a good way to meet a friend" She shook her head and chuckled, "you captured him I guess?"

"Not quite. Nobody believed me when I said I shot him down. I went searching in the woods the next day and found him all tied up in the bola I launched. I planned on killing him and prove to my father that I was a Viking like him" Hiccup's shoulders sagged as he remembered the events that felt like a lifetime ago. "But, when I was about to, I just…"

"… You just couldn't do it, huh?" Katla finished, "You realized you weren't one of them, you were better than them"

"Exactly, he didn't deserve to die. I looked into his eyes and I saw fear-I saw myself" Hiccup knew he was ruining his plan to act all tough, but being around Katla had lowered his guard.

"I'm glad you didn't kill him Fjalar, and I'm sure he is as well" she replied, this time placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not sure where exactly you came from, but it's clear that you're a better person than any of them" Hiccup looked into her deep amber eyes, feeling a warmth seep into his skin.

"Thank you, Katla" he smiled, lying onto his back and staring up at the sky. "I think I'll try to get some sleep. I wanna look good when I enter your village, don't i?"

"Yeah, I agree" she laughed back at him "I'll see you in the morning, Fjalar"

"You too, Katla" Hiccup leant against the sleeping Night Fury, letting its body heat keep him warm in the cold air.

The boy was close to sleeping when a voice broke the silence.

"Erm, Fjalar are you still awake?" It was Katla, bringing a slight smile to Hiccup's face.

"Yes, what's up?" his voice was croaky, but he did his best to seem happy with talking.

"It's your name, I'm a little curious. What does it mean? Sorry if it seems really random, it was just bugging me" Hiccup stared up at the night sky, letting the girl's question bounce inside his head.

'Should I tell her?' he silently asked himself. 'Yeah, why not'

"Well… Fjalar is a word in Norse" he sighed heavily, hoping she thought it was nothing important.

"So, Fjalar means..?"

"…_Deceiver_"

**Thanks for reading! Make sure to review if you want to share your opinions, and favorite if you enjoyed it! Apologies this part took so long, I'm back at school and I'll try to push out one chapter every 2 weeks. By the way, i'm sorry about any spelling errors you may have found- i'm from Australia and some things are spelled oddly. Stay tuned and stay awesome!**

**Peace! :-)**


	6. The First Confessions

The clanging sound of steel against steel could be heard from every nook and cranny in the village of Helgafjall; it was a sound that gave the townspeople a sense of comfort and protection, knowing there were people training hard in the sparring ring. The sun had only been up for an hour or so, yet most of the folks were already up and about, keen to finish their daily jobs and retreat to a strong cup of wine.

Sadly, luxuries such as breaks weren't offered to men like Avaldr.

Avaldr had been standing at his post, watching out to the east of Helgafjall since the sun went down, his bow at the ready for any signs of Outcasts, Romans or worse- _Dragons_. Almost a year ago, he had been promoted to First Ranger, and twelve-hour shifts were certainly something he hadn't seen coming. The man could feel the light spray of the ocean across his heavily scarred face, snapping him out of his thoughts and back to the job at hand. Avaldr continued to scan the ocean in front of him, praying that he would see a Free Folk ship on the horizon. This morning marked the fifth day his brother Trjonn and eight of his crew had set sail on yet another hunting mission, the tension regarding their safe return was thick in the air. The Skrill had been slaughtering Avaldr's people and friends for as long as he could remember and he was more keen than most to see the beast be put to the sword. An especially loud clang reached his ears, followed by a roar of frustrated pain. The middle-aged archer couldn't help but laugh out loud, as he pictured what had happened to whoever was injured. The people of Helgafjall had an obsession with fighting, a trait that dawned from the very origins of the village. While the neighboring tribes- the _Vikings_, believed the ultimate challenge was killing a Dragon, the people of this town saw nothing better than fighting against a person- an opponent who thought, walked and talked just like you.

"See anything out there, Avaldr?"

The ranger jumped slightly as a voice spoke to him from behind. Avaldr turned away from the coastline to face the source- a fellow guard by the name of Skarf.

"Gods you scared me there, Skarf" he chuckled, walking up to him and giving a gentle punch on the shoulder.

"You wouldn't have been if you weren't half asleep" Skarf retorted, grinning knowingly at the well-built man several feet from him. "I've been told ordered to take your place. Head down to the barracks and get some sleep, you look like a bloody mess" Avaldr couldn't help but agree with him, feeling about as bad as he looked.

"Well, if you insist" Avaldr returned the grin, passing the guard and patting him on the shoulder "Be careful not to have too much fun"

"No promises, my friend" Skarf rolled his eyes, before training his eyes to the vast blue sea before him. Avaldr made it halfway down the staircase, and heard a gasp from where he was standing. "Avaldr, get back here, we've got company!" The man reluctantly spun on his heels, before walking back up the stairs and to where Skarf was watching.

"What do you mean, 'company'? You've been on watch for less than a minute!" He huffed, removing the bow from his back and holding it steadily. Skarf pointed slightly to his right, where the morning sun hung steadily over the ocean. Avaldr squinted slightly against the light, and could make out a large black object flying right their way. "Son of a bitch, that's a Dragon" His years of training kicked him into auto-pilot, giving him no time to fear or think of how it seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He dropped the bow in his hands and sprinted to the west side of the tower, where he could see more guards perched up on other high structures. He waved his arms like a madman, yelling as loud as he voice could manage. "Boys, we've got a Skrill spotted to the east!"

Within moments of warning the others, the townsfolk of Helgafjall had found cover in their homes and dozens more soldiers had manned the bola launchers that were dotted all over the village. Daytime attacks were rare at this time of year, but an occurrence nevertheless, meaning people were prepared for an event such as this. Avaldr had quickly moved from the watch tower to a nearby building with a large bola launcher at the ready. The machine was much larger than him, and capable of shooting down airborne targets from as far as three hundred yards.

"Sir, the Dragon should be in range within fifteen minutes" said the man in control of the launcher. Avaldr raised an eyebrow at the scrawny soldier behind the giant weapon, looking no more that seventeen years old.

"Fifteen minutes? Are you crazy?"

"N-No sir, it's travelling very slowly. I don't think it's a Skrill, Sir" the teenager replied shakily, obviously nervous about being on the front lines. Avaldr walked to the edge of the building, doing his best to get a better view of the Dragon. As much as he'd hate to admit, the boy was right: the creature heading towards them was no Skrill. The beast he was looking at had a huge wingspan well over forty feet; it was also black as night, not the vibrant shade of purple the Skrill was so well-known for. But the largest piece of evidence proving this wasn't a Skrill was the wonderful weather Helgafjall was experiencing- there wasn't a single rain cloud in the sky, let alone a full scale thunderstorm.

"No, that definitely isn't a Skrill" he murmured to himself, before raising his voice to a bellow "Okay everybody, lower your guard but stay sharp. It could still be looking for a fight!" It was not uncommon for random Dragons to attack Helgafjall, but their damage never quite matched the Skrill. The minutes passed by with all eyes trained upon the mysterious beast advancing on the town, everybody in Helgafjall unsure of what its intentions were. Many of the families who had taken refuge emerged from their homes, ignoring the danger and letting their curiosity get the better of them. By now the Dragon was less than a mile away, and people could easily tell that there was something going on. Avaldr's eyes widened when a cloud passed above them, blocking out the sun and giving the guards a better view of what they were up against. The creature had a thin rope tied around its hind legs, dragging something very large through the rough waters. "What the Hel is this Dragon thinking? It's pulling something behind it" Avaldr breathed, unsure whether to treat this as good or bad news. Nervous murmurs filled the eastern watch towers, fearing this could be a new kind of attack. The Free Folk were a tribe that strongly associated with tradition, and anything 'new' or 'unknown' was generally feared or loathed, making this strange situation all the more dangerous in their eyes. A faint voice reached the archer's ears, with its origins being the sea. "Everybody shut up!" Avaldr roared, "I think I can hear someone over there"

At the man's orders, all conversation ceased around him, the only voice being heard was a distant yelling from off in the distance.

"_Don't shoot, Avaldr! This isn't an attack!_"

Avaldr recognised that voice like it was his own; it was the voice of his dear brother, Trjonn. The man's attention left the beast, and turned to finding where the voice came from.

"Sir, I-I think I see people behind the Dragon" The man who was previously in control of the bola launcher now stood close to the edge. He was pointing out to sea, where he could see three distinct figures atop the object being dragged by the beast. Dozens of citizens had now flooded towards the city walls, frantic to gain a view of the events unfolding. People also began to notice something more peculiar as the Dragon came within firing range- somebody was _riding _it.

"In all my years, I've never seen something like this" Avaldr shook his head in disbelief, watching as the rider slowed his Dragon to a halt, letting it hover gracefully over the ocean in front of the town. The person- clearly a man, raised his two hands above his head, as a sign of peace and that he was unarmed. Avaldr tore his gaze from the Dragon and looked at the people it had been dragging through the sea, feeling his jaw slacken in utter bewilderment.

It was Sven, the orphan Katla, and his brother _Trjonn_.

"Avaldr!" once again the man heard his name being yelled, but this time he knew where it was coming from. The archer stared at Trjonn with wide eyes, his brother returning the stare with a clumsy grin, as if to say 'betchya didn't see this coming, huh?'

"Trjonn, you crazy son of a bitch" Avaldr joined in on the grin, momentarily forgetting the Dragon and relishing the fact that his brother was alive and well.

"I'll explain everything once we get to shore. Tell your men to lower their weapons" Trjonn said, before looking up to the Dragon rider, "Fjalar, there's a small port further north. That's the easiest way to dry land from here"

Within several minutes, Hiccup and Toothless had pulled the slab of boat to a small dock, which was crammed with Helgafjall townsfolk. The rider could easily tell that mixed emotions were flowing through the people in front of him, with half the crowd cheering him on and the other half brandishing vicious weapons. The Night Fury let go of the rope and landed on the wooden platform, alongside the three people he'd been towing. Mere moments passed until the group of five were completely surrounded, whispers of the Dragon and his rider being heard.

"What kinda monster s'that?"

"-missing a tail fin, maybe it needs the boy…"

"That kid is a traitor to his race"

Hiccup slowly dismounted his friend, being sure to show his hands at all time, to prove he wasn't armed. The black Dragon growled savagely at the mob which had encircled him and his companion, fearing an upcoming fight.

"Shhh bud, I won't let them hurt you. Just show them you aren't any harm" Hiccup whispered, giving his friend a scratch on the neck to calm him down. Toothless ceased his snarling and adopted a neutral expression, only a slight rumbling coming from his throat.

"**You've really messed us up this time, haven't you?**"

An eerie silence clouded over the mass of people, with both parties unsure how to act. Helgafjall had never seen a Dragon like this, and knew that attacking it could be a disaster in such close quarters.

"Erm," Katla let out fake-cough, giving her the attention of everyone. "I-I know this looks crazy everybody, but I promise we can explain…"

o~0~O~0~o

_Astrid could feel blood pooling in her mouth, bitter tasting and a clear sign she was in trouble. The girl had suffered many injuries in her life, but never had she experienced this many broken bones at once. A deep and unnatural snarl could be heard behind her, insulting her inability to fight back._

"_Someone does something!" she heard a voice in the audience to her left, sounding equally terrified. Astrid summoned all her remaining strength in an attempt to stand, yet couldn't bring herself to do it._

'_This is it, it's over' she thought forlornly, 'I should have never done this-'_

"_STOP" Hiccup's voice echoed in her ears and rang out through the Kill Ring, as he ran out to save her. Astrid felt a sliver of hope as the thin Viking sprinted past her and put himself in between the Dragon and herself, praying to Thor that he would do something to save her. "I'm not going to hurt you, just…" Hiccup trailed off into silence, leaving the shield-maiden slightly confused. Astrid managed to roll over onto her back with a moan of pain, giving her a view of what Hiccup was doing. The Changewing stopped growling and began to purr with anticipation, its yellow eyes turning a deep green._

"_Why should I spare your life?"_

_Astrid whipped her head around to look at Hiccup, who loomed over the girl with a face of pure, unrestrained hatred. "Would you have saved me, if I was in your position? Of course you wouldn't, you're Astrid: the most hateful and selfish Viking ever known!" The blood-red Dragon advanced on the girl, now staring down at her with a sickly reptilian smile. "It's your fault I'm dead, and it's my fault you're alive now. I wish I let you die in the ring"_

_And with that final sentence, the Changewing opened its huge mouth and finished what it started._

Astrid managed to tear herself from the dream she was in, waking up on her bed in her breast-binding and undergarments. Her body was drenched in sweat and tears had been running freely down her face. The shield-maiden had been suffering the same nightmare ever since the found the grove, the same pain, the same fear, the same helplessness. Astrid shakily sat up, doing her best to not wake up her parents several doors down. The morning light flooded into her small room, warming the wooden boards which creaked underneath her feet. The teenager guessed it must have been several hours past sunrise- at least she got some sleep instead of none. As much as she wanted to not leave her room, she knew she had a job to do. She was determined to avenge Hiccup, by finding whatever- _whoever_ killed him, that awful night. After dressing and arming herself, the still-exhausted girl dragged herself out of her home and made her way down to the Meade Hall, hoping that Fishlegs had made progress with the Dragon Scale and cloth.

o~0~O~0~o

"What a load of _Dragon shit_!" Hiccup- also known as Fjalar, was never the kind of person to swear, but times like these required such harsh language. The lanky boy sat with his back against the cold stone wall that surrounded him, rusted iron bars stood in front of him, almost seeming to mock the boy and his original plans of peace. Within ten minutes of him and Toothless landing at Helgafjall, they had both been 'escorted' to the city prisons, while Sven, Katla and Trjonn would be questioned by the village leader. "So much for 'acceptance'" he mumbled, "Toothless, can you hear me?" a frustrated growl was his response, and no more than three cells down. Hiccup had told his Dragon to comply with the Free Folk and so far he had listened- nobody was injured, as of yet. The ex-Viking was sure he could escape from this place; the guards were away listening to Katla and the others. What's more, the people here didn't know his Dragon was a Night Fury- or the damage it could do. As tempting as it was, he resisted. Hiccup wanted to show he meant peace and breaking out certainly wouldn't help. The echo of footsteps reached his ears, causing him to stand up and walk up to the bars. It had been just over an hour and Hiccup hoped that by now this whole ordeal had been sorted out. The footsteps became louder and clear, until a figure walked out in front of his cell- a guard by the looks of him.

"I've been ordered to lead you to the main hall. The leaders of our tribe would like to question you" the man's voice was gruff yet held a hint of fear, most likely due to the large snarling Dragon several yards away. "The Dragon will be remaining here, no harm will come to him" Toothless continued to growl, furious at the idea of his rider being alone.

"Its okay bud, I'll be fine" the boy reassured, watching the guard open the rusty door and lead him out to his inevitable judgment.

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup found himself inside of a huge room, even larger than the Meade Hall of Berk. There were at least three hundred people in the room with him, every single one watching him with utmost curiosity. Katla, Sven and Trjonn stood alongside two elderly men, who sat upon tall chairs at the very back of the hall. The guard escorted Hiccup to the very center of the room where he stood on a small podium, so that everybody had a view of him. The elder on the left raised his hand and signaled for quiet. Any and all conversation in the room stopped, nobody dared to interrupt somebody of such a high social standing.

"Do you know why you're here, boy?" The elder on the right spoke, his voice wasn't loud, but it resonated throughout the hall and rang in the ears of every person. Hiccup gulped nervously, seriously beginning to regret this.

"I'm being questioned for my actions" he answered, trying his best to not sound terrified. It was clear to him now that these people weren't Vikings in the slightest, from their inquisitive stares to the way they dressed.

"Indeed, as you can tell we are a tribe that prefers to remain discreet. We are not Vikings and therefore we refuse to associate with them," The man's stare was both hard and cold as stone, examining the boy in front of him for any signs of feebleness. Hiccup refused to show fear, the last thing he wanted was yet another culture thinking he was weak. "So now I ask you, why were you riding a Dragon?"

"He… He's my friend. Also he cannot fly without me" chatter broke out across the room at the mentioning of 'friend', there were very few people who believed befriending such a creature was possible.

"There _will_ be silence, while the questions are being asked" The man on the left raised his voice, killing the conversation, "And why can this Dragon not fly without you?" Hiccup cast a quick glance at Katla, wondering just how much she told these people.

"He was wounded. He's missing a tail fin and I control a prosthetic"

"Very well, these people to my side-" he stared at Trjonn, Katla and Sven, "-have furiously debated your release for the past hour, claiming you rescued them after they were left to die. Why would you do something like this to people you don't know?" A lengthy silence followed the man's question; even Hiccup didn't know the answer to this.

"…Because it wasn't right to just leave them there. What kind of person would I be if I just flew past them?" the boy turned to face the audience, now questioning them. "Would _you_ have left them, even if you didn't know them?" nobody answered his question, it was clear that he had proven his point.

"I see," The man gave a hint of a smile, outwardly pleased at what he had heard. "As I'm sure the others have told you, our ancestors came from a faraway land. The romans who still rule there have been hunting us ever since, and will stop at nothing to see us eradicated. Why should we think you're nothing but a spy? After all, your name is _deceiver_." The looks of curiosity were soon replaced by glares of anger. Hiccup could hardly believe what these people were saying to him. He had saved the lives of their people, and here he was being accused of being a spy.

"Look sir, do you know what species of Dragon I ride?" he wanted to sound annoyed at them, and he succeeded

"No, we've never seen that kind on Helgafjall" the man replied calmly. Hiccup looked back at Katla, the only person in the room who had a grin on their face. She knew he wasn't a spy for the exact reason he was going to say.

"Of course you haven't- nobody has. The 'unholy offspring of lightning and death itself' tends to not reveal himself all that often" he answered smugly. Several people gasped and the two elders stared at the boy in shock, as they came to the realization of what they were dealing with. "That Dragon I arrived here on is a Night Fury. If the romans had control over this Dragon, do you honestly think they would have bothered to send a spy? If the romans had control over a Night Fury, you would all probably be dead by now." As harsh and blunt the boy's words were the elders in front of him knew he was right. If the roman army had any control over such a beast, they would not use it to simply spy on them.

"You've made your point. Now explain why you're called 'Deceiver'" the intense stares remained on Hiccup, as the boy felt his stomach drop. He knew the only way they would believe him is if he told them the whole story, every last detail.

'Ugh, here goes nothing' Hiccup thought to himself. He had hoped to have never told people about his history, but he felt like he had no choice.

"Well… My name isn't really Fjalar; I use a false name to cover my identity. My real name is Hiccup" the boy could tell that people wanted to laugh at such a strange name, but oddity kept them silence as they wished him to continue. "I'm a Viking, more of less I _was_ a Viking"

"Does your tribe ride Dragons along with you?"

"No, I was the first that I know of" he replied quickly, not wanting these people to perceive Berk as a threat of any kind "My tribe was brutal to the Dragons, more so than others. They killed them for fun and sport. I was an outcast there, bullied and tormented. So I left with my Dragon, and haven't looked back"

"Why would they torment you, if you rode a Night Fury?" the elder on the left asked. His voice no longer held an accusatory tone, the question was asked out of genuine interest.

"Nobody knew I had befriended him, if they found out they would have killed us both" Hiccup murmured in return, fifteen years of resentment and hatred bubbling back to the surface. "They bullied me all my life because I was different. I-I was" he looked down at his body- tattered and scrawny in comparison to a Viking. "–_this_"

"What do you mean, 'this'?" the elder on the left inquired, aware of how emotional the boy was becoming.

"Thin, underweight, emaciated" he listed, wiggling his dirty and blood-caked arms "I didn't look like one of them, and I didn't think like one of them. They abused me, neglected me and treated me like dirt. I was called 'Hiccup the Useless' for nearly ten years, my own cousin gave me that name. I faked my death and ran away with the Night Fury, the 'murderous and mindless beast' that showed me for care and respect than my own _father_. You want to know why I called myself 'deceiver'? Because those people back home probably think I'm dead, and that i went down with 'honor', like a true Dragon-slaying savage" his tone grew from misery to rage as he remembered how awful they treated him before Dragon Training, he spat the word 'father' out like it was poison. Despite Stoick having treated Hiccup well in his last few days, everybody knew the only reason was because of his success against the Dragons.

"I'm sorry for what they did to you, and I'm sorry that we suspected you as a spy" The elder who spoke had lived his entire life alongside falsifies and thieves; he knew a lie when he heard it, and this wasn't one. "We shouldn't have assumed such things of you, especially after you saved the lives of three of our own. We are in debt to you" The crowd that surrounded Hiccup seemed to agree, with almost everybody in the hall sharing the same disheartened look. "You are welcome to stay in Helgafjall as long as you want. We'll also find suitable accommodation for your Dragon; I trust he can maintain his behavior?"

"My Dragon won't hurt anyone, he's not as bad as he looks" the boy smiled, with Katla nodding in agreement. Hiccup did his best to look pleased, but under the skin he was in complete shock. These people had listened to him, understood him and believed him. They had felt his emotion and knew what he had been through. And what's more, they had allowed him and his Dragon- _a Night Fury,_ to be guests here, something he could have never seen coming.

These people were not Vikings. They were so much better.

"I hope so. Trjonn, Sven and Katla, please give our guest a tour of the town and see that his gear is returned" the elder extended his hand to the door, before addressing the audience, "this meeting is disbanded. Everybody shall return to their duties" Hiccup stood down from the podium and watched as Katla barged through the crowd to meet him.

"Hey… so how did I go?" he asked, nervously chuckling at the girl.

"You did quite well Fjalar- or is it Hiccup?" she raised an eyebrow, a hint of annoyance in her voice that he'd been lying to her.

"No, it's Fjalar. My past is something i want to forget, plus who wants a name like 'Hiccup'? Fjalar sounds so much cooler" Katla rolled her eyes and snickered at the boy. "Look, I'm sorry I wasn't all that honest, I'd tell you my full name but it's even worse" The large mass of people eventually filed our of the hall and went back to work as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"I don't doubt you, Fjalar. Gods above you should have seen Trjonn when they locked you up. If looks could kill, I'm fairly sure those judges would be dead!" her face fell slightly and without any warning, pulled the boy into a tight hug.

"Erm… what is this for?" Hiccup certainly wasn't complaining at the action, he could feel his face turn crimson as several people remaining in the room pointed and grinned "K-Katla people are looking at us"

"I'm sorry for what they did, Fjalar. You told me you had a rough past, but I never thought I was that bad" she broke away from the embrace and smiled at the boy. "You are not useless, and we will never treat you the same way they did."

"Thanks Katla, that means a lot" Hiccup returned the smile, before turning to face the wide open doors, "May I have the tour, milady?"

"How very formal of you, indeed you shall!" she said sarcastically, leading him out into the blinding sunlight.

o~0~O~0~o

Fishlegs Ingerman waited patiently outside the monstrous doors that lead into Berk's Meade Hall, the Dragon scale and burnt cloth stowed away in his pocket. The boy knew he hadn't slept a wink the previous night. He'd exposed the owner of the scale several hours after midnight, but after his discovery, sleep seemed a thing of the past. Every time he tried, he would have nightmares of Hiccup and what took him. He could hear the boy's screams, and the silence that followed as nobody answered his pleas for help. Fishlegs could envision Hiccup's face, awash with sheer terror as the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself took him away, the same way his mother was taken nearly fifteen years ago.

He knew a Night Fury had killed Hiccup, every piece of evidence pointed to it.

Fishlegs watched miserably as Astrid slogged up the stairs to meet him, her sagging shoulders a clear indication she'd gotten no more sleep than him.

"Hey Fish" Astrid looked up to face the boy, her face clouded over with a mix of fatigue and determination.

"H-Hey, Astrid. I made progress with what you gave me" he knew the shield maiden wouldn't take the news lightly; he wasn't looking forward to telling her. "I'll tell you everything inside" Astrid was in no position to argue, she didn't eat yesterday and a meal seemed like the first good news in days. After walking into the hall- which was mostly empty, the pair of them sat down, and was soon joined by the twins.

"Hey like, where is everybody?" Tuffnut asked, collapsing onto the wooden chair and laying his head on the cold table. "The hall is usually full at this time"

"Plenty of people are at the grove where Astrid…" Fishlegs began, but was soon cut off by Ruffnut, who shook her head warily.

"The grove where he was _killed_; you might as well say it" Astrid stated bluntly, staring down at the floor and letting despair bubble up into her throat. "Fishlegs, if you have some news you'd better tell me. I'm in no mood to sit around and wait while the beast the murdered Hiccup is still out there"

"Okay yeah, about that" Fishlegs shakily reached in and dropped the scale and cloth on the table. "Well first of all, both of these are remarkable to say the least. The scale is stronger and lighter than any other I've seen" the three Vikings next to the boy shuffled in closer, as he laid the scale on the dark stone floor. "And what's more, it blends in with darkness unlike anything else. See look, it's almost completely blended in with the rock" Fishlegs put the scale back onto the table, now focusing on the scorched cloth. "As for this, these burns I have seen before, sadly not under the best circumstances-"

"Please cut the crap, Fish" Astrid cut in, frustration building as the boy seemed to praise whatever killed her friend. "Just get on with it, please"

"I'm getting to it, Astrid" Fishlegs nodded, before resuming his 'Dragon-rant'. "These burns have only been found on the catapult towers, after an especially violent raid" the boy's emphasis on the last three words caused the teenagers around him to realize what he was finally building up to. "As well as that, the cloth hasn't been torn or shredded. Judging from the accuracy of the cut, it was a blade of some sort that sliced Hiccup's vest"

"No way" Ruffnut stared at the boy, wide-eyed "Surely you're not saying…" the Thorston twins weren't exactly known for their smarts, but even they could see what had happened.

"It was him." Astrid hissed venomously, stepping away from the table and letting her hands clench into fists. "That bastard, the traitor to his own race" the shield maiden left the room without saying another word to them, knowing all too well what had really happened.

"_The Dragon Rider killed Hiccup_"

o~0~O~0~o

Hiccup- now officially Fjalar, sat next to Katla on top of a single story house, their feet dangling over the edge and giving them an excellent view of the town square below. When Toothless had first been released from prison and let run wild, the Free Folk were a mix of terror and hatred. It had been several hours since that, and the Night Fury was now a walking and flying tourist attraction. Nearly a dozen small kids had swarmed on the beast, scratching him all over his body until he was a boneless puddle of bliss. Even the older men and women had flocked to see him, offering fish and marveling at how this legendary creature acted when he felt relaxed.

"Oh gods Fjalar, look at him!" Katla giggled hysterically as a five year old girl rubbed Toothless behind his left ear, causing his back leg to twitch wildly. "He's adorable! This is the best thing to come to Helgafjall since wine itself"

"He's quite the Dragon indeed" Fjalar grinned, brushing his long auburn hair out of his eyes and admiring the village before him, he could have never guessed a place like this existed anywhere near Berk. Helgafjall was completely different to his old home, there were easily thrice the amount of houses, and everything was all so much more compact and cramped. Helgafjall was more of a city than a town, largely resembling Constantinople and other empire settlements. The world around him was alive with chatter, smells and action.

Fjalar absolutely loved it.

"Was it hard, befriending him?" Katla asked

"About as hard as making friends with any other person, I guess. Why you ask?" Hiccup drew his eyes from Helgafjall, and stared into Katla's deep amber eyes. The boy couldn't help stifle a sigh; he still couldn't get over the way she looked, with her jet black hair and beautiful figure.

"Well, I've been thinking this all morning" she shuffled closer to the Fjalar, so that they sat shoulder to shoulder, "Look how much good he's doing for the town already. What if we could train more Dragons? Toothless would have some company and you can prove everybody that these creatures are simply misunderstood"

"I was hoping you'd say something along those lines" Fjalar nodded in agreement, "maybe we could get you your own Dragon. A nice attractive Nadder, a graceful Timberjack or maybe even a fierce Nightmare…" he trailed off into silence, realizing he'd been blabbering.

'I guess some things never change, eh 'Hiccup'?' he thought to himself, watching Kata giggle once again.

"You're such a weirdo, you know that right?" she found her face drawing closer to his. Katla didn't know much about this boy, but she knew more than enough to know how she felt about him. There was just _something_ about him that made her spine tingle, whether it was the freckles on his nose, his flowing hair or those stunning green eyes. They'd only known each other for a few days, she couldn't care less. He had an awful past, neglected by his own family and basically disowned; any other guy would be miserable and depressed. Yet here he was, treating her better than every other guy in Helgafjall combined.

Katla liked Fjalar, Katla liked him _a lot_.

Fjalar couldn't believe what was happening to him. Here he was the ex-runt of the tribe, about to kiss a girl that made Astrid look unattractive. The boy felt butterflies build up in his stomach, he was almost certain he was going to stuff up somehow. A voice rang out in his skull, destroying and doubt.

'_I am no longer Hiccup the Useless_'

Fjalar moved in for the kiss with confidence, but stopped when he heard a voice.

"I've been looking all over for you two!" It was Sven, a grin plastered to his face, "what, I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" Fjalar and Katla shared a nervous chuckle, staring down at the man from the rooftop

"No, you didn't interrupt anything Sven" Katla answered, clearly disappointed about the awful timing he had.

"Good to hear. Lass, you're needed with the elders, they want to talk about the fight against the Skrill"

"I… Erm, okay. I'll be there in a minute" Sven nodded at her answer, before spinning and heading back the way he came. Katla stared back at Fjalar, who stared back at her with an equally flabbergasted expression. "Another time, perhaps?"

"Yeah… I don't want to keep you waiting and stuff" he replied faintly, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Katla jumped down from the building and landed softly.

"I'll see you later, Fjalar! Try to stay outta trouble!" she winked up at him, blowing him a kiss and running off in Sven's direction. Fjalar remained motionless until the girl was out of sight, staring at the floor with his classic dumb grin. He'd been so close, another second and he would have kissed the girl. Fjalar thought the gods must have hated him, for easily giving him one of the most inconvenient experiences to date. The boy fell backwards, now lying with his back on the roof and staring up at the cloudless sky.

"Well…" he muttered to nobody in particular, "there's always next time"

**Thanks for reading yet another chapter, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to tell me what I did right or wrong in a review/P.M; please remember this is my first story ever! Anyways, I'll be back with chapter seven in the next two weeks. Stay tuned and stay awesome!**

**Peace! :-)**


	7. An Agreement

Astrid's favorite axe slammed into the tree, with more than enough force to kill a man. The blade of the weapon lodged several inches into the wood, but not nearly deep enough to sedate her anger. The enraged Shield-Maiden would spend endless hours at this exact tree, hurling her axe at it as a form of release. Usually it did the job, leaving her too tired to think about what was wrong or upsetting her.

But this wasn't one of those times. No amount of throwing would calm her today.

Astrid had searched the entire forest for any traces of the Night Fury and its rider, praying that they hadn't left Berk. To her grief, not a trace of the duo was found. It had been several hours since her discovery of who really killed Hiccup, and she had yet to work up the courage to talk to Stoick about it. She was mortified about the boy's death, but her sadness was nothing in comparison to the red-haired chief. Stoick hadn't left the grove, and had only spoken to Gobber since then. Astrid knew his reaction would be one of hatred and fury, she thought he might even put off the nest-hunts, and start sending ships out looking for the rider.

The teenager ran up to her axe and wrenched it from the scarred tree, nearly popping her shoulder out in the process. Astrid couldn't care less about the pain; she turned and dropped into a forward-tumble, before turning back to the tree and launching her axe once again. The shield-maiden's clothes were now drenched in sweat, and her classic head band had fallen off hours ago, leaving her hair in a sticky yellow mess. She ignored how awful she must have looked, and continued to push her body to the limit. As much as the girl was trying to release her anger, she was also using this opportunity to train. Astrid had the odd feeling in her gut that the rider would return. She didn't know if it would be days, months, or even years.

Astrid knew the man would be back, and when he returned, she would be ready for him.

o~0~O~0~o

Katla bit her lip and breathed deeply, readying herself to tell the elders of what had happened on the hunt. The thought of loosing most her crew mates still burned in the back of her throat, especially after knowing it was partly her fault. The girl couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she hadn't used the rope to catch the Skrill, perhaps they would have killed it another way, or perhaps they would've been killed. Two men and a woman entered the small room and faced her with unreadable expressions.

The people in front of her were known as the council: a series of judges who controlled the day-to-day jobs of Helgafjall. These people were second on the social ladder, only behind the elders seen in Fjalar's questioning. The men and woman took their seats in front of Katla, eyeing the chair behind her and implying that they wanted her to sit. The teenager had a high reputation in the village, being praised by the adults and loathed by those her own age.

"Before we begin, we'd like to make clear that this is not an interrogation, and you will not be punished for any wrong actions. We simply wish to know what happened with the Skrill and any more information on Fjalar" The woman spoke, her voice strong with authority and confidence, yet carrying a hint of kindness. It took all of Katla's composure to not question her; luckily she managed to hold her tongue and slowly nod in acknowledgement.

"I understand. What you want to know about Fjalar?" she replied, relieved that she could put in a good word for him.

"If he can be trusted, he seems like a nice boy, but he still has Viking origins. And let's not forget the Dragon he has following him around everywhere, we still don't know much about it" one of the men stated, "We want to know as much about him as possible, and you two seem close" Katla could feel herself blush slightly, remembering how close they'd come to kissing that morning.

"O-Okay, well firstly I think you can trust him. He's had far too many opportunities to attack us if he wanted to. And lets not forget his Dragon is a Night Fury; they could have broken out of prison easily, but chose not to. He's determined to show us he isn't here to hurt us" The people in front of her nodded, seeming to agree with her.

"You have a point. Trjonn spoke to us earlier, and mentioned something about him 'showing us the truth about Dragons'. What do you know about that?"

"He plans to end the war between people and Dragons, and not by killing one side. He wants to show the world that the beasts are simply misunderstood, and attack us because they think we're a threat" she explained, "he plans to start with Helgafjall, by helping us deal with the Skrill attacks" the council seemed shocked at the news.

"How does he plan to stop the Skrill? We've tried for generations and failed every time" the woman raised an eyebrow, leaning forward and displaying a clear interest in the matter.

"He thinks he can tame it, and I believe him. If he can make friends with Toothless I doubt he'll have any trouble" she grinned, remembering the Night Fury's goofy smile.

"_Toothless?_ That's the name of the Night Fury?" the other man asked incredulously, before receiving a nod from Katla.

"Sure is. I guess that's enough proof of how harmless he can be" she chuckled, "look, he hasn't told me much else that you don't know of. He left his tribe after a life of abuse, and he's keen to prove he isn't 'Hiccup the Useless', as he was called back home. I trust him and have faith in him, I think you should too" The three elders seemed to believe her once again, having spend years asking questions to liars.

"That will be all, Katla. If the boy wishes to prove himself more than a guest, I'm sure we could find him some work. You may leave and continue to show Fjalar around"

"Oh, I thought you wanted to know more about the Skrill?" she questioned,

"You need not worry, Trjonn gave us an exact report and we'll be questioning Sven in a moment's time. You've given us more than enough information" the woman said reassuringly. Katla nodded once again, thanking the people and briskly leaving the room. She was anxious to return to Fjalar, worried some teenage girls would find him before she did. Unlike Vikings, speed and agility were favored against brute force, making thin and tall men more attractive there. As well as that, he was a mysterious outsider who just happened to ride the most dangerous Dragon ever known. All of this made the already-famous boy even more desirable in the eyes of women.

And she wasn't ready to leave her new crush without a fight.

o~0~O~0~o

"Can I help you?" A burly man stood with his back to the front door of his store, too busy with his piece of metal to turn and greet the unknown person who had entered. The man had worked at his forge all morning, and was too exhausted to barter with customers, even if it resulted in a few silver coins.

"Uh, no not really, just having a look around, that's all" the man paused when he noticed the person's accent. It was clearly foreign, heavier than the flowing dialect known in Helgafjall. He slowly put down the red-hot iron and turned to face the voice, his suspicions being confirmed. At the entrance of his shop stood a thin-looking boy with piercing green eyes and long auburn hair. None of that so much as crossed the smith's mind; his attention remained solely on the huge Dragon sitting comfortably behind him.

"You're that Dragon Rider- Fjalar, right?" he asked, not sure whether to be nervous or excited. The man had seen a lot of things in his life, a lot of which he wished he hadn't seen. Despite all of that, nothing could have prepared him for the Night Fury, with its muscular body, cat-like eyes and obsidian scales that were darker than night itself.

"I guess so, yeah. I was just interested in your forge, I was an apprentice back where I came from" the boy replied, stepping in and inspecting the many weapons mounted on the walls. "Sorry if this all seems a little random, I'm new here" he chuckled nervously, picking up a weapon and closely examining the metalwork. "I must admit, this equipment is very impressive. I've never seen iron molded quite like this. My old home had a very different way, not sure how it performs against this"

"By all means, if you wanna help, grab a spare apron and get sharpening" he rolled his eyes, returning to his work. The smith had expected the boy to be more… _Viking-Like_, but instead he was quiet, polite and rather small.

"I wouldn't mind that actually" he said, surprising the man. "Don't want my skills going to waste, now do I?" Fjalar rested the weapon back on the wall, before turning to face the smith with a smile.

"It was just a joke lad. I've got this handled, and I'm sure your Dragon won't want to stay and grow bored" he brushed the boy off politely. The smith knew he needed help, but he didn't want to hold down the boy when he clearly had more important things to do.

"Well if you insist" Fjalar wanted to argue with him, but he didn't want to seem desperate. The teenager was determined to repay Helgafjall for allowing him to stay here. "Come find me if you need an extra pair of hands" Eventually the ex-Viking left the neatly kept smithy, waving awkwardly at the man as he left.

'What an odd little kid' the man shook his head and grinned, liking him for some unknown reason.

Fjalar re-emerged from the dark store and let the afternoon sun soak back into his pale skin. After several hours of aimlessly walking around the city, people had grown more and more used to the Night Fury which tailed him. Most of the townsfolk had already met Toothless, and no longer offered him free fish and endless back rubs; the most he got was the odd pat on the head and a cheerful greeting, which was excellent news to both of them. Fjalar was never a person for fame and glory; he hated the endless praise he received back on Berk. Not only that, but Toothless had eaten so much fish he could hardly walk.

"Bud, where'd you go off to?" Fjalar asked aloud, staring up above to see if he'd climbed on the roof again. A delighted warble caught the boy's attention, coming from the alleyway down beside shop. He walked several paces to find his Dragon surrounded by three girls, who were both tickling Toothless under his now bloated gut.

"He's amazing," one sniggered, "I want one right now"

"You and me both, he's like an overgrown cat!" a second girl laughed. Fjalar leant against the outer wall of the smithy and intentionally coughed, catching the attention of the girls and the Night Fury.

"You having fun over there bud?" he smirked, watching the Dragon lumber past the girls and answering with a satisfied purr.

"**I'm too fat to fly. I guess that means we'll have to stay here forever"**

"Toothless, I think you've had more than enough fish for today. You look fit to burst!" he grinned, sweeping his long hair out of his eyes and staring up at the girls. "Um… hey there" the boy mentally slapped himself for his gracelessness.

"So you're the mighty Fjalar, hmm?" the girl on the left beamed at him, then gently elbowed her friend next to her.

"Well I don't know about 'mighty', but yeah, my name is Fjalar" the boy nodded, trying to keep his heart rate as the three teens stared at him mischievously.

"He's even cuter up close" the girl in the middle joined in, giggling as Fjalar raised his eyebrows, unsure of how to react.

"Uh, t-thanks..?" he stuttered

"And his accent" the third girl purred, "So thick and strong. I love it…" The ex-Viking's throat ran dry as the three girls walked up to him and ogled him like he was a piece of meat.

'This isn't happening. No, no this couldn't be' Fjalar had always been horrified when it came to talking with girls, especially Astrid, but this was on a whole new level of terror. He repeated the sentence in his head, until a much louder voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"_Fjalar,_ there you are!"

Toothless, left his friend's side and ran up to the new person, ecstatic to see her again.

It was Katla, having arrived at the last possible moment.

"Well look who it is! You finish your meeting with the elders?" Fjalar quickly asked the girl as she bent down and hugged the Night Fury around the neck.

"It finished two hours ago, I've been busy looking for you in this mess of a place!" she laughed, standing up and facing him. "C'mon, I've still got so much to show you-"

"Um, sorry sister, but if you can't already tell, he's busy talking with _us_" the middle girl caught Katla's attention, both of them staring daggers at each other.

"Well, if it isn't Anne, Catrine and Lene" she raised an eyebrow, almost seeming amused. "I'd ask why you three are in this back alley, but I can't say that I'm surprised to see you here"

"Yeah, well what's it to you?" the Lene shot back, "we were just talking to our new friend here, Fjalar"

"You three can finish stalking him later" Katla growled, taking his hand. "But I've been ordered by the elders themselves to give him a private tour of the town" she yanked Fjalar's hand before Lene could reply, pulling him out of the alleyway and dragging him until they were out of view.

"Well that was- hey, you can stop that now!" he yelped in pain as the black-haired girl finally let go of him, scrunching her eyes tightly shut and taking several deep breaths. "You mind telling me what happened back there?"

"Sorry about that" she grumbled, "those girls are trouble, you don't want to be around them"

"Why? I mean they didn't do anything wrong…" Katla's eyes met his, giving him a 'oh really?' look. "All right all right, I'll admit they were a little… _forward_ with me"

"Can we just forget that ever happened? They frustrate me beyond belief" she said

"They didn't seem too fond of you as well" he raised an eyebrow; "you and them have a history or something?"

"Nobody our age likes me" she hissed, "so no, that's just how everyone treats me" Fjalar stopped walking alongside her and stared at her motionless.

"Now wait just a minute there. Why the Hel would the people our age not like you? I mean…" he struggled to find the words, "-just look at you!" Katla was only ever complimented by adults, so to have somebody her age say that felt incredible.

"Thanks Fjalar," she could feel her face turn red and couldn't help but smile. "I'm afraid it's more than that. All the teenagers here, they're… _jealous_" the boy didn't know what had happened, but judging her facial expression it was clear that it had struck a nerve of some sort. Katla walked off the pathway and sat on a small bench, burying her face into her hands. "And it's not what you're thinking. I don't expect you to understand what I'm rambling about"

"Yeah, I don't know what you're on about" he stated honestly, before sitting next to her. "But I'd like to" Katla looked up from her hands, staring up the boy's face and feeling a warmth re-enter her body. Fjalar wasn't like the rest of them; he wasn't harsh, cruel and selfish. He was caring, generous and one of the few people who listened to her. Breathing deeply, Katla sat up and began to explain why she'd gotten so emotional.

"I… When my parents were killed, Trjonn took me in as 'the daughter he never had'. The man has three boys, gods above I don't know how he manages" she chuckled slightly, "Trjonn is a fighter like no other, and an amazing teacher. I've never seen someone as gifted him. You can see it in his whole family, his wife became a wonderful archer within months of marrying him, and his boys are incredible with just about any weapon. When he took me in, he began to train me as well, just like his wife and kids. He did it to make me feel more like a part of the family, but mostly because he knew that I needed a release; something to take my mind of the death of my parents" Fjalar nodded in understanding, glad this girl was opening up to him.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Katla. It must have been awful loosing your mom and dad"

"It was. I was so full of anger, and Trjonn's training finally gave me a way to escape. I fueled every last bit of my hatred and emotion into my work with him, and it paid off. By the time I was nine, I could defeat almost all of my 'friends'" she broke into a wide grin, remembering the looks on their faces, "I was pretty damn good. I had earned the respect of the elders, the adults and Trjonn, but never the people my age. They began to despise me, claimed I was a cheater and shouldn't have been taught to fight so well. At age fourteen, I was the youngest person to have ever completed my Gladiators" Fjalar looked at her curiously.

"Your 'Gladiators'?" he asked

"Sorry, forgot you didn't know. The Gladiators are kind of like a 'wright of passage' for our town. It's a brutal training program made to push the body to breaking point and further. It turns boys into men, girls into women. Most of the people who try it fail, and only people above eighteen have a chance of passing"

"And you did it at fourteen" Fjalar smirked, recalling how everyone reacted when he used his 'skills' in Dragon Training, "Trjonn must have been so proud of you"

"He sure was, and I mean it when I say that those were the worst six months of my life" the teenager's happiness seemed to drain away, as her face fell. "But from that day on I've been an outcast to the others. All I ever wanted to be was a success, I just never knew it would come at such a high price" Katla shook her head in misery. "I remember some of the things they said after I passed. Lene told her friends that 'she wished her own parents had died when she was three, so that she could be trained'. A boy called Markus spread a rumor that _I_ killed my own parents, so that Trjonn could raise me instead…" by now she had stopped talking, fought desperately to hold in the tears. She didn't want to cry, not in front of him.

The boy couldn't believe what he was hearing from her. The Vikings of Berk had treated him poorly to say the least, and while Katla's torment lasted a lot shorter, it was so much worse. "They are jealous" she choked out, "they are that jealous my parents were butchered, and of the life I was given afterwards. I would give anything in the world for them to come home, and they think I wanted it to happen" Fjalar knew her pain better than almost anyone else she'd talked to, having been bullied ever since he was five, as well as loosing his mother. He wanted to think she was lying, and that people of such a nice village were capable of things this hurtful. "I'm sorry if this is a lot to think about. We've known each other for hardly a week, yet nobody's listened to me like you do. I felt like you needed to know the truth"

"I… I don't know what to say" Fjalar was utterly speechless. He was shocked that Katla trusted him, after knowing him for only a couple of days. It made him feel needed, it made him feel special.

Something he hadn't felt ever on Berk, even in his last days there.

"I know what it's like to loose a loved one, Katla. My mother died months after I was born. I might not have known her well, but I was told that she was the most amazing woman to have ever lived" he murmured, smiling sadly at the thought of her. "I'm sorry for what they did to you"

"It's okay Fjalar. Y'know these past few days, you and I have spoken more than every other person my age in the past year or two" she summoned a weak smile, "You're the only person my age who I'd call a friend. I hope you now understand why I didn't want those girls around you"

"It's okay Katla, I don't think I want anything to do with them after they said those things to you" he murmured.

"Can we please put this behind us? Emotions aren't exactly my strength" she sniffed, trying to change the subject.

"You and me both" he chuckled, "I came to this town trying to be the 'tough guy', so nobody would pick on me like I was at home. So far my plan isn't exactly going well" Fjalar got up from the seat and took Katla by the hand, pulling her up with him. "C'mon, you wanted to show me something, right?"

"Yeah, I did" her face brightened, "I've gotta show you the training ring, you'll love it!" Fjalar grinned back at the girl, glad to have cheered her up after the burst of emotion. "I've always wanted to see a Viking fight; we should have a friendly spar!" the boy could feel the blood leave his face, as his Dragon made a chortling sound that resembled a laugh. He was going to go up against the town's best fighter, and he could hardly slay a pig without killing himself.

"**No pressure, lover boy"**

"Yeah… about that"

o~0~O~0~o

Fjalar remembered seeing his father fight for the first time, as if it was yesterday. It was a Dragon raid, when he was only six years old and still coping with the loss of his mother. He recalled peeking out the window to watch his dad slay Dragons in complete awe; it was less of a fight and more of a slaughter. Stoick was taking on a Monstrous Nightmare and two Deadly Nadders at the same time, wounded from the previous kills yet still going strong as Thor himself. The Six-year-old Fjalar gaped at the chief as he rolled clear of one Nadder's spikes, which impaled the Nightmare behind him, before smashing his hammer into the face of the other Nadder.

With two of the three Dragons stunned, he advanced on the Nadder which shot at him, punching it straight in the face and leaping onto its jagged head. Stoick dropped his hammer and with his enormous hands, snapped the two largest spikes clean off the beast's skull. Its squawks of pain were cut short as he drove both spikes into its eyes, killing it instantly. The other two Dragons who watched the scene fled from the huge Viking, knowing what he was capable of in such a short amount of time. Fjalar had never forgotten that raid; he'd always known it as the best fight he'd ever seen.

That raid was nothing compared to what he was watching now.

Fjalar stood in the audience section of Helgafjall fighting arena, a massive structure that made Berk's killing ring look like a stone bath-tub. Katla had explained how this place- like the rest of the town, resembled the greats fighting pits of Constantinople, fit to hold thousands of viewers, eager to watch the bloodshed. Hardly any of that was running through the ex-Viking's mind however, he was too entranced on the fight. Katla, Toothless and he were watching four deadly looking fighters square of against each other in a team battle.

Three fighters, all up against Trjonn

"Huh, gotta give it to the man: he's never been one to slack off. We've been back only a day and he's back in the ring, showin' them how it's done" she mused, smirking as Fjalar gawked at her. The man was equipped with a small axe in each hand, and was wearing no armor whatsoever.

"He's gonna take them _all_ on, at once?" he spluttered, watching as the three men surrounded him in a triangle, each of them wielding deadly weapons. Before Katla could answer his unnecessary question, the person to Trjonn's flank charged without warning. Trjonn reacted instantly, flinging both his axes into the sky and facing his attacker unarmed. The man jabbed a spear at his chest, but was easily parried and disarmed as if it were nothing. With brutal accuracy, Trjonn spun on his front leg and connected his right heel with the man's temple, knocking him out before he hit the ground. With one man out of three down, he turned to face his remaining opponents, who both stared uneasily at their friend who was out cold on the floor. Trjonn barked a short laugh, and without even looking up, caught his two axes and adopted a fighting stance.

"You lads gonna just stand there?" he winked, twirling the weapons in his hands. The two men facing Trjonn shared a nervous glance with each other, and with a shrug of their shoulders, attacked.

Fjalar could hardly believe his eyes. Watching Vikings fight against one-another was quite boring; full of pausing for breath and charging like wild boars. He had expected Trjonn to be a good fighter, but he'd never expected him to be this good. Trjonn held his ground as the two people lunged at him, meeting every one of their rapid strikes with the blades of his axes. After several moments of attempting to break his defenses, the duo pulled away. The man hadn't even been scratched, and the barrage of failed swings and slashes had left the two attackers panting from exhaustion.

"I guess it's my turn now" Trjonn struck before they could raise their weapons, throwing both his axes and knocking the weapons out of their hands. One of the men quickly ran up to meet him, his front shoulder hunkering down as he prepared to tackle him. Trjonn lowered his body to the floor, outstretching his right leg and sweeping the man off his feet with surprising grace. With a heavy grunt, the second man landed on the ground, and before he could even get up, his third teammate was down for the count.

"Yield! I Yield, Trjonn" he blurted out frantically, admitting defeat and not wanting to share the same fate as his friends. With a smile, Trjonn offered out his hand and hoisted the man back onto his feet, patting him on the shoulder while doing so.

"Your strikes are very fast, Gaudi, and there's plenty of power in those arms of yours" he complimented, "one thing you need to work on, however, is how you use that power. Tackling your opponent could work, but there are far better options available"

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind" he nodded back at him, "thanks for the fight, remind me not to doubt you next time"

"I sure will. Make sure those two get some ice for their bruises" he chuckled, picking up his weapons and leaving the arena. Katla felt an immense pride as she stared at Fjalar's face of awe, glad to have impressed him with Trjonn's fighting skills.

"So what do you think? Can Vikings fight like that?" she smirked, being answered with only a wordless head shake.

"I… How…" he struggled to comprehend what he'd seen. Trjonn's fighting was nothing short of stunning. He'd taken down three vicious looking men in a heartbeat, while making it look easy. "Odin's ghost, how the Hel did he do that?" he managed to breathe out.

"He's one of Helgafjall's best, when it comes to combat and tactics. That's why he leads our Skrill hunts" Katla replied.

Fjalar let his thoughts run wild, as he pictured what he could do if he fought _half_ as well as Trjonn did. He'd be able to travel the world, and not have to depend on Toothless for defense and hunting. He could even return to Berk, not as a timid little boy, but as a lean and fierce warrior.

He could beat Snotlout in combat; pummel him into the ground for all those years of mistreatment.

He could beat _Astrid_; show her how much he's changed. The look on her face would be to die for.

"What would it take to be trained by a man like him?" he asked, desperate to know if his dreams could become reality.

"Trjonn is very picky about who he trains. So don't get those hopes up" she chuckled, "He has a big family to raise, and training taking up such a large part of his day means he has to charge quite a lot" the boy's fantasy seemed to suck away from his thoughts, leaving him feeling glum. Fjalar had very little possessions to offer, anything he had of value was very important to him.

"So what, I'd give him a sheep or two and he'd train me for a week?" he joked half-heartedly

"Nah, he only takes gold and silver" she shook her head. "Either that or you can service trade"

"Huh? What's a 'service trade'?" he raised an eyebrow

"Ugh, how do I explain this…?" she trailed off into silence, until the thought reached her. "Well let's say I was a good seamstress, I could work in the clothes store. Instead of asking for money in return, I could ask to be trained. The people, who are meant to pay you, pay the trainer instead. We've done it for quite some time"

"Oh okay, that makes sense" he mused. The idea was far more promising than trading gold and silver, yet still didn't look good for him.

'What could I do for the town in return?' he thought to himself.

The idea hit him. Fjalar's eyes widened in shock,

"Katla, where am I sleeping tonight?" he blurted out

"Oh, there's a guest room in my house. It's where your gear is at the moment" she answered "something wrong? Fjalar I know that look when I see it, are you gonna do something crazy?"

"Maybe" the boy turned away from the training ring, grinning wildly as his mad plan unfolded itself in his head. "Probably" he quickly corrected himself. "Katla, I'll be back at your place in a few hours. Sorry if this seems a little strange. Toothless, stay with her and keep out of trouble, I'll be back soon bud" The Night Fury had only just woken up from a short nap, and grunted curiously at his friend, who was now making his way out of the audience stands.

"**Hiccup, please don't do anything crazy"**

"I know, don't worry I'll be fine" he yelled back,

"Fjalar shouldn't I come with you? And what about Toothless? What about our friendly fight?" Katla asked, "It's dark and you could get lost. Plus I don't want you messing up and getting kicked out of here"

"I'll be fine, I promise. Just take care of my friend and I'll explain everything later!" he broke into a run and vanished around the corner, leaving the girl and Dragon to themselves. Fjalar hoped he could trust the girl with him; she seemed to be very honest so far.

"Should I go after him?" Katla casually asked Toothless, "I hope for your sake he knows what he's doing. I'm meant to be watching over him" The Night Fury snorted back at her, rolling his eyes and curling back up to sleep. "So this is that 'Viking stubbornness' I've heard so much about"

"**Good luck finding him. He's a runner. And for the record I can take care of myself"**

Fjalar knew what he was about to do was bogus, completely insane and very risky. He'd even left his Night Fury- his best friend and most trusted companion- in the hands of someone he hardly knew. The boy weaved through the thin alleyways and streets, remembering the exact rout he'd taken to get to the arena that afternoon. Fjalar had even shocked himself when he left Toothless, but he knew that dragging him along could land them in even more trouble, and greatly increase his chances of failure.

'I have to try' the voice in his head repeated, as he kept on running, not once looking back.

Katla tried to search for Fjalar that night, but the boy seemed to have vanished from sight. Not only that, but Toothless refused to move from his spot, and Katla was in no position to argue with a Night Fury.

Within several hours of persuading- borderline begging- she'd convinced the beast to come to her house, where she could both watch over him, and wait for Fjalar to return. The girl admitted that she was a tad frustrated with Fjalar, for simply leaving her like that. She was anxious for an explanation as to what he was doing, and why he seemed to trust her with a _Night Fury_.

Katla had flushed slightly at the thought. The boy trusted her with his best friend's well being. She would have only done that to someone she liked a lot, and he did it to her with almost no hesitation.

She continued to think about herself and the mysterious guy, right up until she fell asleep.

o~0~O~0~o

The deafening sound of a fist against wood was what tore Fjalar from his slumber. It was nearly midday, and he had spent over eight hours conjuring up his 'master plan' which would get him training by Trjonn. The exhausted boy now lay flat on his face, sprawled out on an unmade bed like Toothless after a night of neck-rubs. Instead of working for a few hours on his idea, he'd continued up until sunrise, and had snuck himself into the guest room of Katla's house when he was finally finished, not wanting to wake her or anyone else.

"Fjalar, are you in there?" a voice yelled out, accompanied by more knocking.

"Ugf… Yeah I'm here…" he called out, "just a few more minutes… please-" Fjalar was interrupted by the door opening, and Katla stepping inside.

"Do you have any idea how long I was outside waiting for you, last night?" she asked, trying to sound angry and not laugh at the hilarious position she found him in.

"I'm sorry Katla; I got…" he yawned loudly, not bothering to lift his face from the pillow. "…Got a little carried away last night. Toothless seemed happy when I came here. Thank you for looking after him after I ran away" Fjalar finally rolled onto his back and got up from the bed he sat on, his long rusty hair all over the place like a bird's nest atop his head. "I hope I didn't wake you trying to get in here"

"I thought I heard someone on my roof around sunrise" she shook her head, suppressing another laugh. "Y'know, you could have knocked and I would have let you inside. You didn't have to be all quiet about it"

"I didn't want to disturb you" he grunted, "I kept you waiting for me to return, and I wanted you to sleep"

"How did you even know where my house was?" she put her hands on her hips. "I don't remember showing you it"

"Yeah, but not every house has a Night Fury snoring on it" he grinned sheepishly, "This is your house, right?" Katla rolled here eyes and returned the smile.

"So, you gonna tell me what you did last night? I think you owe me an explanation"

"Okay, well I _might_ have broken into some guy's forge" he tried to sound as casual as possible, knowing his actions could have serious consequences.

"You did _what_?" she spluttered, "You mean Bardi's Forge, the one I found you outside yesterday?"

"Yeah that one" he nodded, "You told me about 'service trade' yesterday, and it gave me a wild idea. So I ran over to his forge, crafted up something and left it for him. If he likes it, I might just be able to train with Trjonn and learn to fight, in return for working with him"

"Why couldn't you have told me about this before you left?"

"I didn't want you to follow me and get into trouble if It went badly" he responded,

"Gods above Fjalar, I was so worried about what you were gonna do" she lightly punched the boy on the shoulder. "What did you make?"

"A sword, nothing too major" Fjalar said, before receiving another one of Katla's 'oh really?' stares.

"You spend eight hours on a sword, and it's 'nothing major'?"

"I wanted to make sure it looked good, okay?" he raised his hands defensively, "Plus I had to do everything slowly, not wanting to wake any early-sleepers"

"Yeah, how very considerate of you" she rolled her eyes, "Anyways, I wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat, y'know down at the hall. There's like lots of food for you to try, I'm sure you're hungry and all" she couldn't help but notice her own stutter.

'I've fought men twice my size, and lived alone for three years. Here I am, nervous about asking out a boy to a meal!' she silently cursed to herself. Fjalar didn't seem to notice her tone, or slight blush.

"Yeah sure, I'm starving!"

o~0~O~0~o

Fjalar was stunned at the Great Hall he stood in. The boy had only been in the room once, during his trial, and since then it had been outfitted to feed all of Helgafjall. Back on Berk, the only food offered for Dagmal was bread and broth: an awful mix of yak meat and vegetables, which the Vikings loved unbeknownst to him. Due to Fjalar's size, he was never given a large potion, preventing him from growing much larger than he all ready was.

"Smells good, huh?" Katla could see the boy's shock from a mile away, as he ogled the dozens of trays of food available to them. "We have an abundance of food here, and we like to make sure everybody is well fed"

"You could add up all the food from my old home, and it wouldn't come close to this meal alone" he breathed, walking over to where people were serving the food. "What the Hel even are these things" he pointed to a platter of sizzling meat, mouth watering in anticipation, "Oh my Thor, it smells beautiful"

After Fjalar was done staring, he stacked up his plate with a mountain of food, and sat himself next to Katla in the hall.

"So I take it you've never eaten this kind of food?" she watched him dig into his gigantic meal, surprised about how such a thin boy could manage it.

"Nah, nothing comes close to this" his mouth was crammed full of chicken and potatoes, "It's so good!"

"I can tell you like it" she commented, "Like I said earlier, the Skrill that attacks us, it steals no food and only goes after the townsfolk-"

"Hey, Fjalar! Over here!"

Katla and her friend turned heads to look at a table several yards away, which half a dozen teenagers sat on. The people there waved at him, and gestured for him to come over.

"Don't sit with that girl, come sit with us!" One girl spoke out, patting a free space on the chair next to her. Fjalar recognized her from the day before, as Anne. The teenager cast a glance at Katla, who wore a face of both misery and resentment.

"You can sit with them, I guess. It would suck to have them pick on you, like me" she turned back to her food, eloping in quiet. A sudden chill ran down Fjalar's spine, as he finally understood what was happening.

He had become popular, and Katla was the outcast.

Katla wasn't like the others, she had something they didn't. Her fighting skills had outclassed anyone else of her age, and for that she was hated. They saw her as a nuisance, a pest and a hindrance, only because she was considered different.

_She was the Helgafjall version of Hiccup._

Fjalar had finally witnessed his life from someone else's point of view, and he was sickened by it. He was liked by the other teenagers, and was not going to join their tormenting of her.

"No, I'm fine thank you. I'll stay here" he called out, returning to eat before any of them could answer. He spoke to Katla, his voice low enough that only she could hear "I was a victim, back where I came from; I told you and your entire town. If those people think I'm going to join their bullying of you, they're wrong."

Katla opened her mouth to thank him, but the sound of the hall doors opening caught her attention. Bardi- the forge master, walked in the hall, brandishing a large sword and yelling maniacally.

"_Where is Fjalar?!_"

Chatter in the hall ceased and looks of curiosity fell on the boy. The smith was well known for keeping his temper under control, and seeing him react like this was a good sign that something was out of the ordinary. One of the elders at the head of a large table stood up, and addressed the man.

"Bardi is something wrong?" his eyes turned to Fjalar, who seemed far less confident about his plan then he did a minute ago. "Did our guest do something?"

"I hope this is all part of your plan" she whispered, as Fjalar stood up and faced Bardi.

"S-So, did you… like it?" he stuttered, noticing the weapon he was wielding was the very one he made that night.

'I knew this was a bad idea. Now I'm going to be killed by my own sword, isn't that great' he thought.

"Fjalar, what. Did. You. Do." The room was now deathly silent, as the elder glared at him. He was considered to be their guest, and his title could just as easily be revoked if he were to misbehave.

"That boy broke into my forge last night, while I was sleeping" he answered, looking not nearly as angry as expected. "I didn't see him, but it couldn't have been anyone else" a smile crossed Bardi's face, not out of wicked glee- like he was going to enjoy punishing Fjalar, but a smile of pride.

"I-I wanted to p-prove myself that I could work for you?" he trembled, holding his hands behind his back, so that they couldn't see how badly he was shaking.

He didn't expect Bardi to laugh, however.

"My boy, you've more than proven yourself!" he chortled, holding out the sword and letting the elders see it, "this is a work of art!" Fjalar could've sworn that he wet his pants with relief. _He actually liked it, the plan worked_. The elders gave the sword to one of the onlookers, letting them pass it around and marvel at his creation. The weapon he'd made was engraved with runes, and had a handmade hilt which resembled a Dragon with outstretched wings.

"So you want to work for me? Tell ya what, if you can make more of those, you're bloody hired" Bardi said.

"If you wanted to work for him so badly, why didn't you simply ask him for a job?" someone asked

"I did, yesterday. He made it clear that he was fine on his own" Fjalar answered, "I decided to show him what I was capable of. I was an apprentice back home, and I don't want my skills going unused"

"That's why you wanted to work for him? Because you didn't want your skills to go to waste?" the elder raised an eyebrow.

"Partly, I-I wanted to make a trade for my work at the forge"

"What kind of trade are you thinking?"

Fjalar scanned the crowd of people who'd been watching the scene unfold. His eye caught on what he was looking for, right at the back of the hall, stood Trjonn. A tiny smile spread across the man's lips, having a good idea of what he was going to say.

"A service trade. I wanna learn to fight like you guys"

_**PLEASE READ**_

**Sorry if this wasn't the most action-packed of chapters- although it was the largest yet! (8100 words), this was mostly a set-up for the next part of the story! Several big changes are going to take place next chapter, and I feel like I should let you know!**

**LIGHT SPOILER ALERT, READ IF YOU DARE**

**1) Chapter 8 will be set 9 MONTHS after the events of this part, and Fjalar will be a very different person. He will be an excellent fighter and be best friends with Katla. His personality will be far more outgoing and confident, making him slightly OOC. He'll also be sixteen, with Katla's birthday several weeks away.**

**2) Katla and Fjalar will not be officially a couple, but many of the Helgafjall townsfolk will suspect something is happening between the two. They are both attracted to each other, but are both too shy to talk about it.**

**3) I've got the full storyline planned out. I plan on making ****this plot unlike any other novel out there,**** with a mix of the first and second movie characters (as for who those characters are, you'll have to wait n' see!). I've searched tirelessly, and haven't found a single Fanfic which comes close to what I'm planning, so be excited!**

**4) Speaking of characters, Valka will NOT be featured in this story, although there may be references to her at one point of more. Secondly, this is NOT A HICCSTRID, I'm sorry all HiccupXAstrid diehard fans!**

**Yeah, that's about it! Remember to stay tuned for the next chapter; I plan on making it the best one yet! Feel free to review; any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! See y'all in two weeks.**

**Peace! :-)**


	8. A Place To Call Home

"_Journal Entry: A New Home_

_Date: Sixteenth day of autumn_

_Well, I'm back._

_It's been over nine months since I wrote one of these, but hey, 'better late than never' I guess. This is my first journal entry as Fjalar, not as Hiccup the Useless, and I've got a lot to catch up on._

_So, where to begin?_

_Well, it's been nine months since I left Berk, and nine months since I arrived at my new home, Helgafjall. Its three degrees south of hopeless, and clings to the border of the Meridian of Misery. Life here is fantastic, I'm actually useful here; I have a purpose and people treat me with respect. The people of Helgafjall are not Vikings, they call themselves the 'Free Folk', and are ex-slaves from a land they call Constantinople. While Vikings are hulking masses of fat and muscle, these people are taller, leaner and faster. The Free Folk prefer brain over brawn (doesn't mean they can't fight), having to live under the constant threat of Romans (soldiers from Constantinople, from what I've heard, they make the Outcasts look like housewives). Yeah, if you haven't guessed already, these are my kind of people. I can actually fit in here, sit down and talk about my projects and not come off as some sort of madman._

_I first met the Free Folk by complete fluke, only a week after leaving Berk. I found a destroyed boat, out in the middle of the ocean. I chose to investigate, and found three survivors on board, Sven, Trjonn and Katla._

_I'll tell you about them later on._

_As I was saying, I chose to help return home. I still don't know why I did it, it was a huge risk but I did it anyway. I talked to them, gave them food and with the help of Toothless, managed to get them back safely. I remember how shocked I was when I first turned up here- it's completely different to Berk. While my old home is full of gleaming new wooden houses, spread out across a huge island, Helgafjall is a tight metropolis: the houses are built of stone, and some of them are generations old. The entire town is incredibly compact, all the stores and houses are squashed together. The entire town feels __alive__ with action, sound and smells._

_I'm in love with it!_

_I'm one of the first Vikings to know about this place- the Free Folk like to stay quiet, and not associate with neighboring tribes. So it's no surprise that they took my arrival as suspicious, especially considering I was riding a Night Fury. After several hours of negotiation, I managed to explain my previous life, and why I ran away. They awarded me the title of guest, and for saving the lives of those on the ship, I'm allowed to stay in Helgafjall as long as I please._

_Over the past few months, I've gone from a visitor to a citizen. I now recognize almost everybody in the town, and they recognize me back. Toothless is also considered a member of Helgafjall, when you think about it. When the two of us aren't flying around, he's out helping the people with jobs. He's become quite the celebrity, and he loves the attention. As for my job, I work in the forge, crafting weapons alongside a man called Bardi. He reminds me of Gobber some days, jolly, stubborn, and fluent in the language of sarcasm._

_My arrival has caused several changes in Helgafjall, some big and some small. The largest difference would easily be the Dragon Training Academy. Several months ago, my friend and I got the idea that we could train wild Dragons to help out with the town, and so far it's been a huge success. In half a year, I've managed to train five new Dragons. These include a Hotburple titled Groundsplitter; two Hobblegrunts, named Eenie and Meanie; A Changewing called Viper and a Smothering Smokebreath which Katla named Misty:_

_Groundsplitter is the Dragon I probably spend the most time with, second only to Toothless. Groundsplitter works in the forge with me, and when I say work, I mean he's sleeping almost all the time. Much like his cousin- the Gronkle, Hotburples are able to regurgitate metal ore and create an even lighter, stronger substance- which I named 'Gronkle Iron'. I've tried to make weapons out of it, but so far my luck hasn't been too good (I might have burnt down the forge once or twice, all for a dagger)._

_The Eenie and Meanie are both excellent at collecting wood and fish. Hobblegrunts look quite different to most Dragons. Instead of four legs, they have two muscular legs and two large arms. This means they can both haul a huge amount of supplies. Thanks to both of them; dozens of people don't have to go out fishing or into the forests for materials. What's more, the two of them seem to love their newfound jobs, and their new homes amongst the townsfolk._

_Viper is a beautiful female Changewing, which I encountered on a flight to a nearby island. Unlike most of the others, Viper and I had actually met before. She was the very Dragon which attacked Astrid back on Berk, and by sheer luck I found her. Judging from how she acts around her species, I'd say she was exiled or disgraced after being captured by the Vikings of Berk, making me the only friend she had left. Nowadays, Viper serves as one of Helgafjall's best hunters, regularly bringing in enough game to feed the entire town. Viper's invisibility also makes her a great scout, helping the guards keep track of Outcast ships which venture too close._

_Last, but certainly not least, is Misty. She is a Smothering Smokebreath, found by Katla while exploring caves. While most of her kind lives in huge packs, Misty was abandoned as a hatchling, probably because of her color. A regular Smokebreath is a shady silver color, yet for some reason misty is a very dark blue, it's likely a birth defect. The cute little Dragon is always perched up on Katla's shoulder, serving as her body guard and 'assistant' in combat (Smokebreaths are very territorial, and without a nest to guard, Misty defends Katla instead). Out of all the new Dragons, Misty is the only one to have actually bonded with someone apart from myself, a fact Katla enjoys bragging about._

_There is one more Dragon, however. It's a regular visitor to Helgafjall, yet not in the good way. The Skrill, it has some sort of hatred for the village, and every few months she will pay us a visit, and try to take as many lives as possible. For three generations, the reclusive Strike-Class has been attacking, and nobody knows why. Since I arrived at Helgafjall, the Dragon has only struck twice, and both times she's been scared off by Toothless. I hope to make peace with the Skrill some day, but first I'll have to gain a better understanding of her._

_Now I guess I should write about my new friends. Well first there's Trjonn, the tactician and fighting extraordinary. For almost a year now he's been my private trainer and borderline father-figure. He's mid-thirties and has a family of three boys and a wife. Trjonn also adopted Kata when she was three, taking care of her for over nine years. He stands well over six feet tall, and has long brown hair tied into a single braid. To say he knows how to fight would be perhaps the greatest understatement of my life, he's un'friggen'believable! I've never seen someone use an axe quite like him; he wields it like He was born with it. I've been training tirelessly for ages now and he can still make mincemeat of me in a matter of seconds._

_Then there's Katla_

_Thor above, I honestly don't know where to begin. I could write a whole novel on her, tell you everything there is to know. I think I'll start with the obvious: Katla is my best friend, and was one of the three people I found on board the ship. Katla is the only person I've fully opened up to, I've told her everything there is about me, my full name, and reputation on Berk, my father; __even Astrid_

_She's changed a lot since we first met. She's five foot eight and has long black hair that flows freely down over her shoulders. Her eyes are stunning amber, you can almost get lost in them. Her casual attire is a light blue tunic, with baggy black pants and thick brown boots. When it comes to fighting, she can wipe the floor with me. With a sword in both her hands I don't stand a chance, even when I use my glaive._

_If this was Berk, Katla would be considered a goddess. Snotlout would follow her like a stray dog, and Astrid would be humiliated in a fight. But this __isn't__ Berk, and the teenagers here treat her with no such respect. Instead of receiving praise, Katla's fighting skills got her nothing but resentment and jealousy. They treated her as an outcast, only because they envied her, and it made me feel terrible. I know what it's like to be the different one, and to be excluded. So I stuck up for her, I don't associate with the others and I treat her as best as I can._

_Okay okay, I MIGHT have a crush on her, so what?_

_But seriously, who wouldn't? Her face… it's just so… wow. Her cheekbones are strong and angular; her lips can curl into a smile that would make flowers grow. Her body… Freyja herself must have hand-crafted it! She's funny without even trying, and her laugh gives me this feeling in my gut I only ever used to experience around Astrid. But that isn't even the best thing about her, it's her personality. Katla has been tormented, bullied and victimized for most of her life, and still to this day, yet she continues to have such a bright outlook on life. She's never raised a hand to the teenagers, never fought back and never thrown a punch; she just ignores them and keeps on walking, even though she could pummel them all in a heartbeat. Any other person would have gone nuts by now, yet she lives her life with a smile on her face and a girly skip in her step (with a sword in each hand, mind you), she sees the positive in everything, and blocks out the negative._

_I'm working up the courage to ask her out, but I'm still unsure if she likes me back. Her sixteenth birthday is a week away, and I plan on making it her best one yet. I've been modifying Toothless' saddle, adding an extension on it which means two people can fit comfortably. I've got this entire route set up that I'll take her on, up into the sky and around the beautiful landforms near Helgafjall. I've also been working on a new set of swords for her. Just last week, Toothless tried to melt steel with his plasma blast. The result was a thick black metal, exactly the same strength and weight- the only difference being the color. If I can mix the Night Furies blast with Gronkle Iron, It'll look pretty damn cool. I'll should give it a new name or something; I'll have to ask her for suggest-_"

"Fjalar, what's taking you so long?"

The boy jolted in shock as he heard someone knocking on his door. He'd been writing in a fresh book which he bought the day before, to serve as his new journal. Fjalar's charcoal stick flung from his fingers and rolled across the floor as he scrambled out of his seat and slammed the front cover shut.

"Yeah, just hold on a second! I'm getting dressed in here!" he hollered back, grabbing the loose papers on his desk, shoving them in the book and tucking it under his bed. He and Katla had plans to train together this morning, and once again he failed at being on time.

"Well hurry up, man. This cool morning breeze isn't gonna last forever!" she continued to knock on the door, knowing it annoyed him after months of living under the same roof.

"Okay I'm ready to go now" he called out, opening the door and walking out to greet her. "Mornin' by the way. You look very nice" Fjalar's confidence had greatly increased since arriving at Helgafjall. No longer did he have to worry about criticism or bullying, and no longer did he stutter in speech. He could finally come out of his shell, and be himself.

"Thanks, you don't look half-bad yourself" Katla still wasn't used to the boy's charming remarks, even after spending nearly a year with him. She bowed her head slightly to conceal her blush. "So you wanna get going?"

"I've got to feed Toothless and make sure the others are staying in line. Go on ahead without me; I'll be at the clearing in twenty minutes, promise"

"You'd better be" she playfully jabbed a finger in his gut, before turning and heading out the front door, "this is your first day off in a week, let's not waste it!" she called out.

"Wouldn't dare" he grinned, sitting down on a chair and slipping into his boots. Katla's house was rather small, but since Fjalar moved in, he'd taken it upon himself to help expand it. There was now a large room on the right side of the house, which served as a sleeping area for Misty and Toothless. "Hey bud, you still asleep?" he entered to find the Night Fury comfortably slumped against the wall, "C'mon Toothless, you overgrown salamander. You want to go get some breakfast?"

As if a candle had been lit in his skull, the once docile Dragon shot to attention, growling enthusiastically and nodding his head.

"**About time Hiccup, and we're going flying today whether you like it or not"**

"Oh sure sure bud, you're all sleepy and lazy when work's involved. But when it's food, you're up like a Snaptrapper in the rain!" he laughed, sitting in front of the Dragon and scratching him around the neck. "Let's get some fish in that gut of yours, and go pay the others a visit"

o~0~O~0~o

To say Astrid was disgusted would have been a grave understatement, she was utterly appalled.

It had been nearly a year since the death- the _murder-_ of Hiccup and the pain of his passing still struck the girl like it happened yesterday. Sadly, it seemed that only Gobber, Fishlegs, Stoick and she were the ones who still cared about him.

For the first weeks after Hiccup's demise, everybody seemed mortified, even the stuck-up Mildew seemed to miss him. But as the months came and went, more and more people realized how Berk was better off without him, and that his four weeks of 'fame' in the Kill Ring didn't make up for ten years of foolishness. There were now fewer accidents in the raids; nobody needed to babysit him anymore; there were no more crazy inventions, capable of burning the town to a crisp. Some of the braver Vikings even _celebrated_ the boy's death, but usually behind closed doors.

Astrid thought about Snotlout, and how he reacted to his cousin's death. For maybe a week, the thick Viking hardly talked to anyone, and it wasn't out of grief. It was clear to the shield-maiden that he was thinking about something.

Then after that week passed, nothing was really the same.

Snotlout's arrogance and ego had blown to all new measures, almost overnight. He'd become louder, prouder and more up himself than anyone could have imagined. His flirting with Astrid had gone from casual hints and flexing, to borderline demanding and bribery. For the past decade or so, Astrid's dislike for him never exceeded a slight bitterness, but for the first time ever, she could feel herself beginning to hate him. The Viking lost one of his front teeth when he tried to kiss Astrid at training, yet he still didn't get the message. With Hiccup out of the picture, Snotlout knew he was next in line for Chief, and he planned on making Astrid his own, regardless of how she felt about it.

The raids had also worsened. They might have decreased in occurrence, but each time they took more and more food. As stubborn as Vikings were, even they could see the truth.

_They were loosing the war._

"Berk to Astrid, are you in there, girlfriend?"

Astrid was surprised to see Ruffnut sitting next to her, or to have found her in the first place. The shield-maiden raised an eyebrow at the girl, before turning back to face her surroundings.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" she asked

"Duh, where else would you be? These last months you've spent more time in this grove than the Kill Ring" Ruffnut said, staring at the tall stone walls which surrounded them. "I can't blame you, though. This place is beautiful"

"Yeah" Astrid mumbled, "It's ironic, isn't it? Of all the places the Dragon Rider could've killed Hiccup; it had to be a place as peaceful as this"

"…You still miss him, don't you?" she murmured, knowing this conversation was heading into dangerous waters. The last person to speak badly of Hiccup in front of her had received a black eye and a knee to the crotch.

"I didn't think I would, not after hating him for so many years. But I do" Astrid whispered back, shaking her head. "My father once told me 'you never know what you have until it's gone', and I never understood it until now. I'll never forget what he did for me, the risk he took that night for my safety. He even made me my axe" she lifted her gleaming weapon off the grass floor, admiring its perfect curves and edges in the sunlight. "I never knew he did it, I always assumed it was Gobber. That very day I was given it, I used it to hurt him" she carelessly tossed it aside. As much as she missed the boy, she hated talking about him. All it ever did was bring back memories of how awful she treated him, and how she should have acted to such a kind and quiet friend. "Why are you here, Ruffnut? I know you aren't the type for talking, especially about things which don't explode"

"Right as always, Astrid. Your parents sent me to get you; they wanted to talk with you about something serious" she said, her brow furrowing in concern. "You should head back soon, don't wanna keep them waiting"

"Okay, will do. Uh, thanks Ruff" she pushed herself off the boulder they sat on, and landed carefully on her feet. Astrid didn't know what her parents wanted to talk about, but the queasy feeling in her gut told her something was up.

"Oh, and one other thing, Astrid" she heard Ruffnut call out as she walked away. The shield-maiden turned to face her.

"Uh-huh?"

"I overheard some of what they were saying, before they told me to get you" she spoke, "I didn't catch everything they said, but I could hear one word being used a lot" Astrid raised an eyebrow at her friend curiously, and before she could ask the answer, Ruffnut gave it.

"Marriage"

o~0~O~0~o

The morning air was something Fjalar had begun to cherish. Back on Berk he'd only ever go flying in the late afternoon, usually to avoid discovery or suspicious questions. Since his arrival at Helgafjall, the townsfolk had grown completely used to his flying around, meaning he could take to the sky any time of the day. The rider and his Dragon soared gracefully above Helgafjall, passing over the city wall- where the town ended and the forest begun. Much like Fjalar, Toothless had changed drastically in the nine months. His wingspan and body length had increased by several yards, and his shot limit had gone from nine to twelve. He'd also become the unofficial leader of the Dragons, keeping them in line when Fjalar was busy at the forge or training.

"All right bud, let's go find Katla" he gave the Night Fury a scratch on the neck, setting the foot pedal to the dive position and watching the tree line rush up to greet him.

'The Clearing' as Fjalar and Katla had named it, was a secret place they'd found together, and a common meeting place when they wanted to train or relax. It was a small meadow, soaking in the sunlight and completely surrounded by the lush green forests. Fjalar often compared it to the grove: a place where he could relax and forget about the troubles of the outside world. As the Night Fury got closer to the ground, the teenager could see Katla, sitting cross-legged in the grass while plucking at a flower. When the girl wasn't dominating in the ring or working, Fjalar noticed that she had a very peaceful and affectionate side- something she rarely showed in public. Toothless drew to a halt five or so yards off the ground, his huge bat-like wings keeping him motionless in the sky.

With a fluid motion, Fjalar swung off his saddle and dropped off his companion, letting gravity pull him to the floor. With a careful execution, Fjalar landed on the balls of his feet and fell into a roll, avoiding any injury in the process.

"Good to see you didn't land on your face this time" Katla smirked, tossing the flower at him carelessly. "You're learning faster than ever"

"Not as fast as I'd like" he brushed the traces of dirt off his tunic and looked at her with a grin, "Trjonn still beats me without breaking a sweat"

"He beats _everyone_ without breaking a sweat" she rolled her eyes "so stop being hard on yourself. I reckon you'd beat your cousin easier than Trjonn beats you"

"Yeah, but he's a Viking so it doesn't count. You ever seen one of them in a fight?" he gave his best 'Viking Battle' impersonation, pretending to hold a giant club above his head and hobbling towards Katla like he had a missing leg. "_Aye lassie, yer gonna get soma this!_"

"Oh no, I'm _terrified_" she giggled hysterically, playing along with his little joke, "please don't hurt me, mister big strong Viking" Much like Fjalar, Katla had a sense of humor that almost completely revolved around sarcasm, and ensued in some pretty hilarious conversations.

"You up for some training?" he asked, turning to Toothless- who had landed by himself and was now beside him. "I made some more changes to my suit. Hopefully it should stop the rashes on my chest" Fjalar opened up the travel pack strapped to the Night Fury's back, and pulled out a set of worn leather armor. The boy's 'flying suit' had undergone a dramatic change since settling with the free folk. On a regular basis, Fjalar would attach new parts to the gear, resulting in the transformation from a measly set of leather straps, to an intricate and complex set of armor***** with no noticeable weak points.

"Sounds great" she nodded, turning away from her friend and whistling loudly. Jumping out of the tall grass like a rabbit, a black-blue Smothering Smokebreath landed carefully on Katla's shoulder, purring happily. "There's my favorite little girl, were you out hunting again?"

Misty let out a joyous growl, her long and spiny tail flicking enthusiastically like a cat. Fjalar would never admit it, but he thought the Smokebreath had the best roar of all Dragons. While the Night Fury had a bone-chilling screech; and the Hobblegrunt had a raucous bark; the Smothering Smokebreath had a vicious and brutal howl, something you'd never expect from a Dragon of that size.

Fjalar and Katla both got their armor on and equipped their weapons. Katla dual-wielded short swords and Fjalar had his classic glaive. The once immaculate and shiny blade was now very scratched, and the wooden shaft was splintered and chipped at the edges- not that any of it mattered to the boy. Fjalar faced his friend, twirling the glaive around his body and above his head at blinding speeds, while adjusting his position into a firm fighting stance. Within nine months of rigorous training, Trjonn had trained him to see the weapon not as a tool, but a very extension of his body.

"You done showing off there?" Katla rolled her eyes, spinning her swords and preparing herself. All of their weapons were fully sharpened, and a single wrong move could result in serious injury- even death. Despite this, they still used them. The two teenagers trusted each other completely, and knew how to draw their strikes.

"Nah, just getting started-" Fjalar couldn't finish his witty comment before Katla lunged at him, still shaking her head and laughing. The sword strikes came rapidly, aiming for any gaps in her friend's defense. Fjalar reacted instinctively, backing up and twirled his weapon in front of him, meeting every one of her attacks with the glaive's elongated blade. Katla was impressed by his speed and accuracy; he'd made an incredible amount of progress with Trjonn's training. She hadn't worked up the guts to tell him how she _really _felt about him; out of fear he wouldn't share her attraction.

Oh, how little she knew.

After backing up several paces, and no successful hits, Fjalar saw his chance to strike. The teenager collapsed quickly into a reverse roll, putting some much needed space between him and Katla. Fjalar planted his feet, and with a twist of his hips, powerfully thrust the glaive, a plan of attack hatching in his mind. With nearly no effort, Katla avoided it with a side step to the left, the vicious serrated edge missing her by over a foot. Anticipating such an action, Fjalar continued to drive forward with his weapon, extending his rear hand and sending the back end of the glaive right into Katla's stomach.

If the ex-Viking was intent on injuring, Katla would have broken a rib or two, but thankfully all she got was the wind knocked out of her. With only a moment's break, she'd recovered and was ready to go again.

"Fjalar; One, Katla; Zero" he huffed, a ghost of a smile dancing across his lips. It wasn't very often that he scored the first point, maybe this time he would actually win.

"Once a deceiver, always a deceiver" she tilted her head from side to side, the joints in her neck cracking while circling her opponent. She was constantly checking for any weak points in his ever changing armor, worth exploiting. "Alright Fjalar, warm up's over" Katla lashed out a second time, her rapidly spinning blades coming down on him. The boy managed to block her attack, raising the wooden shaft of his weapon above his head. Fjalar's chest was now wide open, and Katla made the most of it. She thrust her body forward, raising her left leg and slamming the knee into his diaphragm.

Fjalar let out a pained grunt, releasing the weapon with his right hand and throwing a quick punch. Once again, Katla saw an opportunity. Crouching down low, she let the boy's fist pass over her head and miss her completely. Fjalar's force in the punch caused his body to rotate, exposing most of his lower back to her. Katla smacked him straight in the kidneys with the pommel of her left sword, sending him to the floor almost immediately.

"One point to Katla" she quipped, wiping sweat off her brow and helping Fjalar to his feet. The competition they had was fairly simple: If given the opportunity to inflict serious injury, a point is awarded. First person to five points won, and whoever is given a chance to take the other's life is automatically deemed the victor.

"Should've seen that one coming" he winced, stretching his body and readying himself for a third round, "I'm sure one of these days ill beat you" Fjalar launched another attack, complimenting his glaive slashes with several spinning kicks.

"Keep dreaming, bud" She snorted, parrying each of his moves and weaving in between the powerful kicks, "Your little project in the forge has a better chance of success!" Katla ducked under a foot directed at her head, and rolled out of his range to collect her breath.

"My project?" he panted heavily as they continued to talk and fight at the same time. "What project?" Fjalar hadn't yet told her about the swords he was making her, and he hoped she wouldn't find out until her birthday.

"I'm not sure" she jabbed out with her right blade, readying her left for any counters he had prepared. "You and Groundsplitter have been working hard on it. Bardi mentioned Toothless being involved-" Fjalar side stepped to his right, cutting off her reach with the left hand. With incredible precision and speed he brought the flat side of the glaive's blade down on her outstretched wrist, knocking the weapon out of her hands. Katla would have lost her hand if Fjalar wanted to.

"Two points to one. Come on Katla, lift your game" he joked, knowing she wasn't fully focused on the training at hand.

"Oh, you wanna get serious, Dragon boy?" she smirked, tossing her other sword onto the grass and leaving her unarmed. Katla put a hand on her hips and brushed her long black hair behind her ears, all of which Fjalar found immensely hot. "What do you say we mix it up a little?" She removed her favorite dagger which was strapped to her waist and got back into another fighting stance.

Fjalar was in no position to argue, especially seeing how good she looked that morning. With a far less confident smile, he dropped his glaive and drew a smaller blade of his own. The dagger he held was the third one he'd ever owned: the first- and original- being left at the grove back on Berk, the second broke after months of training with it. This new one however, was special. It was the only weapon he'd successfully made from Gronkle Iron, and despite rigorous usage, was still just as beautiful as the day he made it.

Spinning the blade of the dagger in between his fingers, he too got into his fighting stance. "You're gonna loose a hand doing that one day" Katla sniggered at her friend's non-stop urge to play with weapons.

"Yeah, not gonna deny that" he shrugged, "I've always had trouble keeping my fingers still" Katla could feel blood rush to her face, as a sea of possible scenarios flooded into her mind. Visibly shaking her head, she tried to stop thinking about what he said.

'Get your mind out of the gutter!' she silently yelled at herself.

Katla began the new round with very little warning, slashing out with her dagger in the classic 'Saber Grip*****'. Fjalar was unique when it came to knife-fighting; he almost exclusively used his blade in the Reverse position*****, a combat style only a few had been successful with. Unlike the fights they had with their other weapons, training with knives made for much closer competition. Fjalar no longer had the range advantage, and Katla lost her secondary sword and extra speed.

For several minutes, there was no clear victor between the two. Fjalar and Katla would trade turns of attacking and defending each other, coming close to scoring a point every now and again. Toothless and Misty simply watched from the sidelines, hoping neither of them would suffer any serious injuries.

Katla resisted the urge to curse when her friend blocked another one of her lightning-quick attacks, meeting her blade with his own. With his newfound strength, Fjalar pushed away her dagger and kicked her hand, disarming her for the second time that day. The ex-Viking couldn't help but smile at his crush, knowing he had the upper hand once again. Katla on the other hand, wasn't going to let her lack of weapon get the better of her. She waited patiently in a sparring stance for him to make his move, not even bothering to look down at her weapon.

She caught a glimpse of his legs flexing, and she acted on it.

Spinning on her front foot, Katla swung her right leg out and sent it in an upwards arc. Fjalar hadn't seen this move coming, and continued to lunge forward with the dagger extended from his body. With both speed and precision, Katla's heel rocketed into his hand, sending the blade out from his grip and into the sky. Baffled by her disarming, Fjalar froze and looked up to search for his weapon- giving Katla all the time she needed. With a two-handed shove, she knocked him onto his back, rendering him defenseless. Katla leapt onto his stomach, straddling him at the waist and pinning her knees either side of his body. With a cheeky grin, she held her hand out to her side and caught his blade- not even bothering to look at it. Katla brought the knife up to his throat, and their game was over.

"Fjalar, two; Katla, infinity" She grinned, a blush threatening to arise from the position she found herself in.

"Okay, that last move was just showing off" he chuckled, "I still suck at knowing where the weapon's gonna land, you need to teach me"

"I don't think I'll be able to, only the best fighters can learn such things" she mocked, standing up off him and helping him back to his feet.

"Ha ha, aren't you a funny one" he said, picking up his weapons and giving Toothless a scratch under the neck. "Did you bring a drink? I'm thirsty as all Hel"

"Yeah, here" Katla tossed him a bladder of wine, which he accepted thankfully. The boy had grown accustomed to the cuisine of Helgafjall, and the large amount of alcohol they drank. That, coupled with the many celebrations which took place resulted in many nights he couldn't quite remember. "I also brought some food, if you wanted to stay and have lunch"

"I'd love that" he beamed, taking a seat in the grass and offering his Dragon a fish he'd brought along with him. "Today's a perfect day for a picnic"

For the next hours the duo talked about everything, from the Dragon War to the shape of the clouds in the sky. They discussed Misty, and how her smoke breath could greatly help Katla's stealth ability, and how she should also get a Dragon which can be ridden. There was almost nothing they couldn't talk about, or what they found awkward- aside from their relationship. Both of them had long since agreed to hide no secrets from each other- friends were honest, after all.

"Why not Viper?" Fjalar raised an eyebrow, picking at his bread loaf. "She already likes you, so I'm sure she'd let you"

"It's not my approval I'm worried about" Katla cast a glance towards Misty, who was watching over her master like a protective hound. "She dislikes her for some reason. Every time we get near to Viper she gets really tense and agitated"

"I noticed that" he mused, "We could get you a different species? We don't have any Nadders in Helgafjall, but there's plenty in the forests"

"Nadder's are too common; I like something exotic" she smiled, "Trjonn told me he saw a Hackatoo the other day. They look pretty cool" A Hackatoo***** was a rare Dragon Fjalar had never seen on Berk. It was a slender and snake-like beast, with six legs and beautiful golden-brown skin.

"Good luck getting close to it" he chuckled, "Those things sure know how to run"

After their filling meal and more talk, the pair decided for a bit of last minute training before they returned home. Reflex training, Fjalar's most loathed exercise.

"Gods, do we have to do this?" He whined, putting some distance between him and Katla.

"How are you supposed to get better if you don't do it?" she raised an eyebrow, raising a good point. In her hands she held a long bow, with several arrows resting in the quiver on her back. "Besides, I'm only aiming beside you, so you won't get hit"

"It's not that, it's the damned splinters"

"Stop being such a baby" she grinned, taking aim just to the left of him and releasing the string, sending the arrow flying. Fjalar watched carefully, guessing the path and how fast it was going. The arrow was traveling slowly, Katla decided to make it easy for the first time. Carefully reaching out, he caught the arrow before it passed him. Seething in pain, he dropped the arrow and turned back to Katla, grimacing slightly.

"Okay, next one"

"Good work, now for a bit more tension" She drew the bow back further than the last time, adding more power to the shot. Katla had removed the arrowheads, which reduced a chance of injury and increased the speed at which it could travel. She released the bowstring and watched the projectile rapidly close in on him. Fjalar noticed the increase in speed, and accounted for it as he reached out again.

All his life, the once-scrawny youth had preferred brains over brawn, and now that he knew how to fight, he could use intelligence more than ever. He knew the perfect amount of power to knock a man unconscious, crack their skull or even kill them. He knew how to recoil his body to reduce the impact of a strike on his body; he knew the exact angle to hold his glaive, so that any incoming attacks would slide off the blade like water.

Intelligence was still his weapon, just as it always had been. But now it was on a whole new level.

Once again, Fjalar caught the arrow, the joy of his success outweighing the pain caused by it. The teenager stared at the arrow in his hands, admiring the blunt tip where the steel arrowhead should be. Fjalar pointed the feathered end away from him, and pushed the pointed end into his chest. Unsurprisingly, the boy didn't feel a thing- his leather armor offered great protection to his vital organs. He knew that without the arrowhead, any shots that made contact would do very little damage. Fjalar looked up to Katla with a grin, nodding his head in approval.

"Are you sure about this?" Katla knew her friend far too well; he was never one for growing comfortable with something; he was always pushing his abilities and skills further.

"Like you said earlier, how I am supposed to get better if I don't try" he answered, emptying his hands and facing her in a neutral stance.

"Point taken" for a third and final time, she pulled the bowstring so that it rested by her cheek- it's tension holding more force than the other two shots combined. Unlike her previous attempts, however, this shot was aimed straight at his chest. "Tell me when you're ready. I don't want this going wrong" Fjalar nodded, stretching his fingers and slowing his breath down.

"Go for it"

Katla let the arrow fly, slicing through the air and heading exactly where she'd planned. Fjalar had only a split second to react, and swung his body out of the arrow's pathway and prepared to grab a hold of the projectile screaming towards him. With only a few yards distance between them, Fjalar clamped his hand shut, trapping the arrow and drawing it to a near-instantaneous halt.

"Thor above, that's painful" he growled, dropping the arrow and staring down at his hands- awash with calluses and scars. Trjonn's training- as beneficial as it was- had taken a serious toll on his body. He was covered in dozens of cuts and scars, particularly around his arms and back. "Okay Katla, I think that's enough for me"

"Well, it was good while it lasted" she commented, walking up to her friend and handing him the bow. "My turn now, don't go easy on me like last time"

"I don't want you getting hurt, though"

"Well, thanks" she smiled at his care for her, and felt her face redden. "But I can take care of myself, you should know from our last fight"

Fjalar held the bow up to shoulder height and was about to draw, when a loud horn stopped him. The source of the noise was from the village, and signaled a meeting was about to take place.

"Ah, you've got to be kidding me" he lowered the weapon and started to take off his armor, "I completely forgot: the elders expect me to be at this meeting"

"It must be about the Skrill or the other Dragons" she took back her weapon and offered it to Misty, who enthusiastically grabbed it in her mouth and carried it to where her pack was.

"Yeah, sorry about this" he loaded his weapons and equipment onto Toothless' back and jumped on his back, "duty calls, I guess. Wanna meet me by the forge when it's over?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice"

"Sweet, I'll see you there!" he gave a mock salute, launching in the clouds and making his way back home"

"**You should have mated with her by now"** Toothless gently slapped his friend with his ear, growling at him.

"Ow, what was that for!" he asked, wishing he could actually understand his companion.

"**You know exactly what I'm talking about. You shouldn't keep her waiting"** Toothless raised an eyebrow and grinned at his rider knowingly.

"If you're asking about Katla, forget it Bud" he brushed the Night Fury off, conversations involving his crush were always an awkward topic for him. "I mean I like her, a lot. But I doubt she'd like me back"

"**You're dumber than you look."**

The pair continued their disjointed conversation, all the way to their new home.

o~0~O~0~o

"Helheim's Gate"

Whispers of the infamous location spread throughout the lone ship which waited outside its shrouded entryway. For nearly three hundred years, the location of this deadly and feared had remained common knowledge for all Vikings- and yet its contents remained a mystery to every living soul.

Alvin the Treacherous wanted to change that.

"Captain, our food supplies stand strong, and all our men are well rested. We're as ready as we'll ever be" Alvin's second in command, Savage, answered his chief's summoning with respect, knowing what he was capable in a state of rage.

"Good" he murmured, tearing his eyes from the ghostly white fog ahead of him and making his way down the deck of the ship. "Ready the men, we set sail now"

"Erm, Alvin, I-if I may" Savage followed the massive leader of the Outcasts, fearing him but questioning him nonetheless, "We're only one ship, how can we possibly take on the Dragons when all of Berk's fleet can't-"

"We ain't attacking the nest, fool" he snapped, whirling his head around and causing the man to flinch, "We're out to find it, not for a suicide mission" Alvin turned back to the deck, which was now accompanied by the nervous outlaws. The total crew number of this mission was hardly over twenty men, yet he was certain him and his men could pull this off. "Is this everyone?"

"Yes sir"

"Good" he repeated, moving to the very front of the boat, where everyone on board could see him clearly. "_Outcasts, _Listen up!" he roared, silencing the mob within moments. "You're all here today, because you're tha best of the best. I hand-picked each of ye for this job, and I'll be damned if we don't see it through!" several people cheered at their chief's rare compliment, but quietened down at the raise of his massive hand.

"Me old man once gave me a piece of advice, many years ago" he continued, "And that's to learn about your enemy before you try and kill 'em" Alvin pointed out to the enormous clouds behind him, "for seven generations, the stupid Hooligans have tried to crack this baby open, by driving as many ships in there as possible. I however, have a much better idea"

Murmurs and gasps erupted as Alvin looked up to the top of the ship's mast, revealing something none of the crew had previously noticed. Upon the wooden beam, there was a Terrible Terror, its jaw clamped shut and its legs tied down- stopping it from flying away. A twisted grin came across the man's face, and the people at last realized what he'd been planning.

"I am not the fool Stoick, and I will not sail my armada in there blindly" the Outcasts could see the beast above them struggle, flying motionless in the air and staring at Helheim's Gate. "That cretin up there will lead us straight to the nest, and we'll finally learn what we're up against"

"And once we've learnt the location and its secrets. Then we'll attack with our full force" he drew his sword and held it high above his head, "_And every tribe in the archipelago will remember why the Outcasts are feared!_"

o~0~O~0~o

*** Hiccup's armor: It's the same armor from the second movie, including the mask but NOT the flying mechanism.**

*** Reverse and Saber grips: Go on the Internet if you're interested in how they hold their blades. I'm sure there's a site or two that'll show you what I'm talking about!**

*** The Hackatoo: Dragon of the HTTYD phone/tablet app 'Rise of Berk'. Go on the HTTYD Wiki if you want to read about it or see what it really looks like.**

**So yeah, thanks for reading yet another chapter of my story! Feel free to review and tell me how good or bad I went any constructive criticism of my story! I'd love to know where I can improve! Once again thanks for reading and I'll see you in two weeks or so.**

**Peace! :-)**


	9. A Day Of Foreshadowing

"_Ah I-it's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean i really actually hit it! It went down somewhere near Raven Point, m-maybe we could send out like a search party-"_

The voice of his now-deceased son echoed through Stoick the Vast's mind, painfully reminding him of the moment where he should have listened to the boy. Everything in the past year had fallen into place and made sense, like an awful puzzle. Hiccup _did_ hit a Night Fury that raid, now so long ago, and the Dragon Rider must have been with it. When he ran out into the woods to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, he must have found them, and they must have taken revenge on the poor boy.

In the chief's mind, it all added up. It explained the location, the lack of body; how Hiccup's clothes were shredded by a blade of some sorts. The savage beast and its master must have taken his boy away- off to Thor-knows-where.

Stoick the Vast now stood in what was Hiccup's room. Dust had gathered upon the furniture and his bed remained untouched, still unmade from the day he woke up. The only major change to the room was where his invention drawings used to be. The papers that once illustrated devastating weapons had all been covered up by a single piece of parchment, depicting a large and savage looking creature.

It was a Night Fury, or at least he thought it was.

The village artist who everyone knew as Bucket had drawn it up himself, all in according to Trader Johann's description. Alongside the drawing, were the dimensions of it, including its rough wingspan, length and size of the man who controlled it. The Night Fury looked truly terrifying, its stocky limbs and huge wings resembling a bat. The face on the other hand, looked nothing like the real thing, but it was hardly surprising, Johann only caught a glimpse of it. Stoick stared hatefully at the Dragon and the rider who sat atop it, his meaty fingers clenching into white-knuckled fists.

"I'll find you, demon. I'll find you and I'll find your traitorous master" he glowered, "I'll avenge my son, even if it's the last thing I do"

The sounds of shouting and pots breaking could be heard in the Hofferson household, but his thoughts remained elsewhere.

o~0~O~0~o

"Marriage, is that what this is about?!" Astrid yelled with unexpected fury, barging into her house and standing in front of her parents.

The shield-maiden rarely jumped into such conversations without being well educating on the topic, but in this case she really couldn't care less. All Astrid's life, her parents had promised she would never be married off to someone without her approval. The Hoffersons were a wealthy family, with Frida and Horik Hofferson- Astrid's parents, both being talented warriors. This meant they would never marry off Astrid for financial reasons, and gave her a huge amount of relief.

"Astrid dear, please just sit down. I'll explain everything" Frida spoke softly, attempting to sooth her enraged daughter.

"I don't want to get married, mama. We talked about this so many times" she seemed unfazed by her mother, and continued to rant on. "We're well off, we don't need a dowry. I don't wanna be sold like a Yak" Astrid's anger soon turned to panic, as the thoughts of marriage assaulted her mind.

"-You're _not_ being engaged, Astrid. Just sit down and listen to your mother" Horik interrupted, silencing both women. "Ruffnut likes to assume things. We mentioned that word once or twice, but that doesn't mean we're gonna 'sell you' to someone"

Relief flooded through Astrid, as she felt an enormous weight lift off her. If her parents were to marry her off to anyone, it would most likely be Snotlout. The thought of her being with him was one of the few things that rightly scared her. She took a seat by the table where her mother was, and shut her mouth as they explained to her.

"We made you a promise, and we won't back down from it" Frida continued, "You've always wanted to be a pure Shield-Maiden, and we'll keep it that way, no matter how great the offer"

"Even if the Jorgensen family offers?" she asked warily. Astrid knew how beneficial it would be to marry the future heir of Berk- in her parent's eyes, that is.

"_Especially_ the Jorgensens" her father spat. Astrid's heart leapt, realizing that they were just as against marrying Snotlout as she was. "That Snotlout boy treats you like complete Yak-shit. I'd rather exile myself than see him with you"

"Language, Horik" his wife cut in firmly, before adopting her gentle tone once more. "Look honey, what we're trying to say is that we don't want you to marry anyone, unless it's with someone you love and care for"

Astrid's foul mood seemed to evaporate, leaving only a grin which was rarely seen those days.

"Then what was this about?" the question caused her parents to shuffle uncomfortably in their chairs. They were unsure if what they were about to say would spark any more outbursts.

"Okay Astrid, just please listen to us until we've finished" her father said, "We don't mind the idea of you not marrying, in fact we're proud of you. But that hasn't stopped us wondering about your future, and if you'll ever find someone to love" Astrid frowned at Horik's statement, having no clue what he could mean.

"Astrid, all we're asking is that you go to Gothi and have her predict your love life. Plenty of women have done it, me included" Frida jumped in, trying to reinforce her husband's idea. "It worked well for me, and it might work for you"

"I… I don't see why not" Frida and Horik both blinked in surprise and a smile etched its way across their lips. Astrid was reluctant to try Gothi's 'prophecies', she didn't consider herself to be very faithful. Despite that, she could see how much this meant to her parents, and she figured it would be easier to get it done and skip the arguments. "If it's that important to you, I'll do it. I'll head up after Nattmal and get it over and done with"

"Excellent! I'm glad you agree to this" Frida had expected another dispute from her restless daughter, and was elated to have Astrid agree with her on something.

"So is that it, then?" the teenager picked her axe up which leant against the door and hoisted it on her shoulders. Her parents nodded and she returned the action. "Okay, well thanks. Sorry I got angry mama, just… yeah you know. I'll be at the tree training if you need me" She tucked tail and left her house in a hurry, not bothering to close the door or pick up the ruined pots.

"What are we gonna do with her" Horik sighed, "she's always been a little tense, but now she's loosing control"

"I know Horik, I know" Frida shook her head in exasperation, "Ever since Stoick's son was killed by that Dragon she's been like this" Horik sat down next to his wife and wrapped a single arm around her shoulder, comforting her as they worried about their only daughter.

"You don't think she had… _feelings_… for that boy. Do you?" she asked

"I've got no clue" he mused. "But it would explain an awful lot"

o~0~O~0~o

Fjalar was tirelessly hammering away at his latest forge project, assigned to him by the elders at the council meeting he attended just hours ago. They had planned this next Skrill attack to be the last, they finally had a plan to take it down and stop any more deaths. Fjalar and the others had studied the creature's attack patterns, and guessed they had roughly two months to prepare for its return. A light knock on the door drew the teenager away from his thoughts and the job at hand. Gently placing his red-hot metal down, him got up and answered the door. Katla stood in front of him, having changed out of her armor and now wearing her casual clothes.

"Welcome to my humble abode" he joked, stepping aside and letting her join him inside.

"You're such a gentleman" she snickered; entering the forge and letting the heat of the room nearly knock her backwards. "Thor almighty, it's hot in here. I don't know how you stand it"

"When you work here for eleven years, you get used to it" he shrugged, returning to his sizzling piece of iron, "You get back home safely after I left?" Fjalar was fully aware that Katla could protect herself even better than him, but that didn't stop him worrying about her safety.

"Yeah, I was fine thank you" she smiled, walking over to his desk and admiring the sketches. Fjalar was one of the messiest writers she'd ever seen, yet his drawings were nothing short of stunning. Every feature, detail and texture was etched into the parchment with extreme accuracy. "So how was the meeting? You and the elders have a plan set out?"

"Yeah, but we mostly discussed its motives. I don't want to hurt the Skrill, and maybe we could stop it without violence if we learn the reason it's attacking" Fjalar answered, dropping the hot metal into a water-filled barrel, triggering an eruption of steam.

Katla's eyes ventured south as he used the end of his tunic to wipe his forehead, revealing a part of his torso. Trjonn's training had some negative impacts on the boy's body, but his new physique was anything but. Katla could easily make out the sets of muscle which adorned his chest and arms. Her jaw went slack, not at all disappointed by his transformation.

"W-Well why do you think's its attacking?" she decided to save her fantasies for later, and at least try to have a conversation with him.

"I've got no idea" he shook his head, propping himself up on the desk and facing his friend, "but I'm certain it has a motive. You can tell by the way it attacks" Katla raised an eyebrow, and Fjalar felt the need to explain himself. "The Skrill and the Night Fury are both Strike Class Dragons, meaning they are faster, stronger and far smarter than the rest. When Toothless is in combat, every move he makes is tactical and efficient, showing off just how intelligent he is. When the Skrill is fighting, it's not like that. All its attacks are sloppy and careless, almost like it's blinded by emotion"

"You don't think straight when you're in a rage" Katla nodded in agreement, seeing the logic in his statement. "So we need to find whatever's pissed it off"

"Yeah basically, and if that doesn't turn out well, we've got this" he pulled the iron rod out of the water barrel and tossed it on to a small pile of parts. Out from his trouser pocket, he removed another sketch of his. Fjalar handed it to Katla; she noticed how fresh the charcoal was on it and assumed it was drawn up today.

"And what exactly is 'this'?" she inquired, trying to read the name of the brutish design plan she held. "Fjalar, you named it 'The Mangler'. Is this what I think it is?" He nodded solemnly, returning to his work.

"Yeah, that's what took down Toothless nearly a year ago. It's the only thing I know of capable of taking down a Strike Class Dragon"

"But it tore his tail fin off!" she spluttered, "What ever happened to avoiding injury?"

"It was the crash into the forest which maimed Toothless, not the bola itself. The plan is taking him down over water; it'll land without harm _and_ it can't use its lightning shots" he grinned back at her. "From there we can restrain it and Toothless can talk some sense into it"

"That could actually work" Katla agreed, before raising a hand. "_But_, it has to be one damn good shot, if you don't want it's spines to cut the rope like butter. You gonna take it?"

"I suppose so" he shrugged, taking the paper of her and studying it as he assembled it together. "I made it, and if I can take down a Night Fury, how hard can it be?"

"Easy peasy" she rolled her eyes, flicking through the many more ideas Fjalar had scribbled down beside her. One particular project caught her eye- a pair of short-swords and a new type of metal. "What do we have here?" She studied the swords, admiring their beauty and design. "What's this _Nightshade Steel_, you've got written down everywhere?"

"Oh that!" Fjalar dropped whatever he was working on and quickly snatched the paper off her. "That's erm… Something Bardi was working on. Yeah I've got no clue what that's about" he stuttered in speech as Katla slowly got off the desk and put a hand on her hips, staring at him with a smirk.

"Oh really?" she tilted her head slightly to the side, watching how the boy made a poor attempt at covering up. "Don't call me rude or anything, but I don't think you're telling the truth" she teased, edging closer as Fjalar backed up. "May I have another look of it? It looks an awful lot like that project Bardi told me about" Any confidence that Fjalar had built up over the months abandoned him that second.

"I-I err… No, sorry" he blurted, reversing his way to the open door. "Top secret designs, very confidential, y'know? Can't have something so err, valuable slipping into the wrong hands" Katla's wicked grin failed to leave as she followed only steps behind him.

"Come on, Dragon Boy. Hand it over before things get rough" she purred, extending out her open hand like a scolding mother. Fjalar stared at her hand, then the sheet, then back at Katla. Reluctantly, he reached out with the sheet, offering it to her in submission. Just as Katla was about to grab it and take a look, he whipped it out of her range and dashed out the door.

"Never!" he hollered, running down the street with the paper in his grip.

"You big oaf, get back here!" she laughed, sprinting after him in hot pursuit.

Fjalar had a good knowledge of Helgafjall, but Katla had lived there from birth, and was given the upper hand. The pair weaved between the many shops, houses and surprised townsfolk, laughing merrily while doing so. There were many people who thought the two of them to be a couple, and with good reason- they hardly spent time with anyone than each other. Fjalar's longer legs gave him a speed advantage, and it wasn't long until she lost sight of him.

"Damn that boy to Hel" she shook her head, falling silent and listening to any sounds of him. With no luck, she found a ladder leading up to the roof of a random house. With the extra field of view she managed to catch a glimpse of her friend, several streets away. He appeared to be having a desperate conversation with his Night Fury, waving the illusive paper about like a flag.

'Oh, I've gotchya now' she thought, making her way over to him as quickly and quietly as possible.

"Toothless please, don't do this to me!" she could hear him blurt frantically at his Dragon, who seemed to be grinning humorously at his human. "There's a crazy woman after this, you've gotta hide me" Once again, Toothless shook his head and happily warbled back.

Katla now stood on top of the building behind him. Toothless noticed the shadow being cast over him and Fjalar, and stared up at her quizzically. The boy beside him froze in speech and refused to turn around to look at her.

"Odin, I ask that my death be quick and painless" he breathed, knowing exactly what was about to happen to him. Katla leapt from the building and pounced on him like a cat.

"_Surprise!"_

o~0~O~0~o

The stairs which led up to Gothi's hut seemed shorter than ever for Astrid Hofferson, and the queasiness in her gut only worsened as she climbed higher and higher. The Shield-Maiden began to regret her choice to go along with her parent's suggestion within minutes of accepting it. She was nervous to find out who she would fall in love with- if anyone.

The more she thought of it, the more often she asked the same question

_Who could it be?_

As she continued to climb the steps, she gradually crossed off the names of every boy she could think of. Snotlout was a definite no, he was disgusting and sexist. Fishlegs was a nice person, but hardly her type. Tuffnut was a good fighter, but about as intelligent as a sack of potatoes. She knew it wouldn't be someone outside Berk; Astrid had always wanted to stay on her homeland. There was only one guy she could ever see herself with later in life.

And he was dead now.

Astrid literally stopped in her tracks at the thought. Did she really just think Hiccup was the best person she could've been with? For fifteen years she'd hated his guts, and when she wasn't bullying him, she'd simply deny his existence. Everyone on Berk knew he was socially awkward, and incapable of following orders. Yet there was just _something_ about him, which made her think otherwise.

It was something she saw in the final days with him, after he'd saved her from the Changewing. It was only then, that she finally pushed all her bias opinions of him aside, and saw Hiccup Haddock, not Hiccup the Useless. Perhaps it was those stunning green eyes of his, or the way he had a comeback for every insult, and could bring a man to rage without even lifting a finger. Astrid realized her emotions were grabbing a hold of her, and put an immediate stop to it.

'Hiccup is dead. Like him or not, he's gone now' she thought, continuing her journey up the mountain to the fragile hut which rested at its peak. 'Stay in control, it's been nearly a year since he left. It's time I moved on from him'

o~0~O~0~o

"Evenin' Lass" Gobber opened the door to Gothi's hut with a warm smile and a wave of his missing hand. Astrid cast a curious glance at the meaty blacksmith, stepping inside and wondering what he was doing here.

"Hey Gobber, why are you up here?"

"Yer mother told me about wanting your runes read" he explained, closing the door behind her. "I'm one of the few people who can understand Gothi's writing, so I'm needed here if you want any idea what she's sayin'" Gobber gestured to Berk's only living elder, who sat cross-legged on the floor and stared calmly off into space.

Astrid took a deep breath and examined the scene around her. There were candles lit around her in a circle, and incense filled the air. In front of Gothi, there were an assortment of random items, such as a bone, sticks, pebbles and a lone Dragon scale.

"It's a little obvious this is ye first time, so I'll talk ya through it" Gobber chuckled. "Sit on your knees in front of Gothi. Open up yer strong hand and hold it out to her" Astrid complied with the middle-aged Viking, kneeling in front of her and extending her right hand. Gothi took hold of her by the wrist and closely examined the lines and grooves of her palm. The elder took a quick look at Gobber, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Eh, she's making sure that it's the love line you want to be read, right?" Gobber asked, "she's always taken you for the warrior type"

"Yeah, it's the love line I want" she breathed, surprising herself with how nervous she was feeling. She was finding this whole event too… _surreal. _Astrid had never been a religious person, she favored logic over faith. Despite any of that, she couldn't help but realize something was going on around her; perhaps the Gods were real after all?

Not taking her eyes of Astrid, Gothi used her free hand to pick up the scattered items around her and gently toss them on to the floor space between them. The pieces landed awkwardly next to one another, and the concentration on Gothi's face told the Shield-Maiden that it meant something. The Elder released her hand and began to scribble patterns and lines onto the dirt, trying to communicate somehow. Gobber saw this as his queue, and began to write down on a sheet of parchment, every picture she made translating into a work of some kind.

The process lasted for several minutes, every second proving to be nail-bitingly intense for Astrid. Once again, the question she kept on asking herself had returned.

_Who could it be?_

"It's all done!" Gobber announced proudly, waving the paper about. "Don't expect this to tell you everything about the person. These messages are usually quite cryptic, but still correct" The man trailed off into silence, as he decided to actually read what he'd written. Gobber's eyes widened ever so slightly and he stared at Astrid in confusion when he was finished.

"Well? What's it say?" Astrid asked, standing up and stepping towards him.

"I'm… not too sure. It's definitely someone, though" Gobber mused, folding the paper in half and handing it to the teenager. "I'm sure yer parents want to have a read of it, take it to them and see what they say 'bout it" Astrid took the sheet and stared at it, not sure whether she should open it and see who it is. The blacksmith escorted the Shield-Maiden out of the Elder's hut, claiming that Gothi needed to rest.

Astrid's emotions were at war with each other as she made her way home, unable to choose between reading the paper or simply letting her parents see it and leaving it at that. Hiccup had been the only person her age whom she'd felt something for, and so far it hadn't exactly been a pleasant experience. He'd been the only person in the past decade she'd shed tears for, and she didn't want to go through that a second time. She stared at the paper in her hands, her curiosity gnawing at her insides.

'I can open it now, and all my questions'll be answered. But if it's someone I know, I'll never look at them the same' she thought, drawing to a halt and holding the paper in both hands.

"Screw it" she scoffed, opening it and reading it. Astrid couldn't resist the temptation, despite the possible consequences. The message came in the form of a short poem, only six lines in length. Astrid took a deep breath, and read the note aloud.

"_An agent of darkness and a guardian of light_

_Atop the winged demon, blacker than the night_

_A hindrance of old, yet a love of new_

_The only man in combat, to ever beat you_

_You'll offer him your heart, against the coal-black_

_And yet he shall never, love you back."_

o~0~O~0~o

Fjalar and his Night Fury had just returned from a short flight, and chose to spend the last hours of daylight down by the forge. He wanted to complete Katla's birthday swords while she was working, and the current opportunity seemed too good to pass up. After their brief chase through Helgafjall, Katla decided to let him keep the written plans without looking at it- only because she suspected it was a present to her.

"Alright Groundsplitter, wakey wakey" he gently kicked the bloated and vomit-colored Hotburple, who lay snoring on the forge floor. With a loud growl, the Dragon woke up and coughed up a clump of molten iron, narrowly missing the boy's bare feet. "Well, someone's feeling helpful today" he remarked sarcastically, scraping the Gronkle Iron off the floor with a stone slab and pouring it into a carefully made mold of matching swords. Knowing time was of the essence; Fjalar placed the mould over the fire pit and pressed on the bellows to keep its extreme heat going.

"Toothless, can you come over here?" he called, catching the attention of his sleek Dragon at the other end of the room. The Night Fury waddled over to the teenager, and stared curiously at the smelted iron. "Remember the project I told you about? Yeah, well we're gonna have another try at it" Toothless grunted in acknowledgement, and let a steady torrent of purplish-black fire flow out of his mouth and onto the weapons-in-progress. Fjalar knew this was the part he most often messed up: Heat the Gronkle Iron up too much and it would bubble and overflow, ruining the fragile mold; cool it down too much and the Gronkle Iron would set before Toothless was finished blackening it. He had to maintain the perfect temperature for at least a minute, to gain the perfect results.

"Come on, Toothless, nearly there" he grunted, watching the metal intensely as its color darkened from the Night Furies flame. He had a good feeling in his gut that this time would finally work out, and refused to let his concentration wander elsewhere. After several more moments, the Iron had transformed from radiant silver to a sleek and charcoal colored black. "Okay bud, that's enough" Fjalar released the bellows and wiped a heavy layer of sweat off his brow.

The teenage blacksmith waited for several minutes, before removing the 'Nightshade Steel' from the mold and placing it in a water barrel. The sizzling sound of steam echoed through the forge, as Fjalar bit his lower lip in nervous anticipation. He'd only made it this far a few times, and with Katla's birthday fast approaching, he wouldn't have many more options to try again.

Slowly, one at a time, Fjalar removed the blades from the water with his bare hands. Every step so far had been done according to plan, not a single issue had come up.

'Please Thor, Loki, Frigga and Freyr; I need this to work. I've worked far too hard on this for it to not turn out' The boy now held both pieces of metal in his hands, his eyes screwed shut in fear of what he would see.

Fjalar opened his eyes, and he was anything but disappointed.

Each blade was glossy and immaculate in condition, and he hadn't even polished them yet. Despite its incredible darkness, the boy could easily make out engravings he'd carefully etched into the mold. The blades were decorated with Nordic runes and depictions of Yggdrasil, the tree of life. Just above where the hilts would be attached, Fjalar had written the family insignia of Katla's now deceased parents.

"_Courage conquers all_" he murmured, flabbergasted at how well it had turned out. The Nightshade Steel was the best of both worlds: it possessed the remarkable strength and weightlessness of Gronkle Iron, and Toothless' flames had given it the excellent chrome-black which he'd been striving for so long. "Yes!" he shouted, holding the blades above his head in victory. "Odin's ghost, she's gonna love these!"

"Who's gonna love what?"

Fjalar dropped Katla's weapons in shock and spun to face whoever had just spoken. The door of Bardi's forge was wide open, and two people his age waited at the entrance with matching smiles of curiosity. Fjalar immediately recognized the two teenagers as Lodin***** and Nina*****, perhaps the only teenagers besides Katla whom he considered bearable.

"Gods above, you two scared me" he shook his head, picking the blades up and putting them away as casually as possible. "What brings you here?"

"You still haven't answered his question" Nina raised an eyebrow, "you looked pretty chuffed just then"

"Oh nothing just finished a sword or two" he replied, a shy grin betraying his ruse. Lodin and Nina had been an 'item' for several months, and since then had left the group of other teenagers. Unlike the rest of them, Lodin and Nina had made amends with Katla, and no longer picked on her.

"You don't seem too keen on tellin' us, so I won't push it" Lodin shrugged as he stepped into the forge, his fingers entangled with Nina's. "I was just wondering if you had any arrows to spare, Nina and I used the last of ours up"

"Already?" Fjalar questioned, walking over to where all the projectiles were stored. "This is the second time a week" Everybody on Helgafjall had a job and a purpose, Lodin and Nina both served as hunters alongside Viper, the Changewing. Lodin might not have been a good fighter, but he was the only person their age that could raise a candle to Katla in an archery competition. Nina rarely associated herself with combat, but when it came to running and agility, she was faster than a Terrible Terror.

Lodin was built much like him- lacking body fat and possessing a decent amount of muscle. He stood just shy of six feet, making Fjalar slightly taller. His hair was short and sandy blond, spiked up to give him a rugged look. Nina was rather petite, nearly half a foot shorter than the two. Her hair was a velvety brown, and was done up in a tight bun atop her head.

"We only need a dozen or so. Plus we've got the coin right here" she said, throwing the boy a small pouch of silver coins.

"I'll see how many I've got to spare" he caught the money and nodded, searching through boxes and cabinets for any spare ammunition. With the forge fire left unattended, the flame began to die out, leaving the room in an awkward silence. Fjalar took the initiative, and did his best to start a conversation. "So… how's Viper been?"

"Good!" Lodin nodded, "really good, actually"

"That's an understatement" his girlfriend snorted, "hunting's never been better. Who knew a Dragon could be such a help" Fjalar nodded in agreement, smiling at their enthusiasm.

"Ever thought about training your own Dragon?" he asked, stopping his work to face them and see their reaction. Fjalar's ultimate goal was to unite the Dragons and men, thus ending the war. Helgafjall was by far the closest tribe to this, but it still had a long way to go.

"I think it would be cool" Lodin answered, surprising the boy with his unexpected interest "Neither of us have made that 'bond' you and Katla talk about, but I think Viper's taking a liking to us"

"Agreed, she's a beauty" Nina smiled, noticing Groundsplitter passed out on the floor. "Uh, is he always like that?"

"Hotburples are the laziest Dragons known" Fjalar laughed, "only species which can fall asleep while in the air. So yeah, this is pretty normal behavior" From a dusty barrel, the teenager removed a handful of arrows, and gently placed them on the counter. "Will these do the trick?"

"Should be fine" Lodin took the arrows and carefully placed them in a quiver attached to his back. "Thanks for this, Fjalar. Nina and I are going to have a small bonfire by the beach tonight for dinner, you wanna tag along?"

"That'd be nice" Fjalar grinned, "I'm pretty sure I don't have anything planned, so I can probably make it" Lodin and Nina both smirked knowingly at the ex-Viking.

"Don't worry, you can bring your girlfriend along with you" Nina chuckled, smacking her boyfriend's rear and walking to the shop entrance.

"She's not my girlfriend!" he called out, watching the duo laugh at him as they left.

"All in good time, Dragon boy!" Lodin cackled, winking at the flushing teen and following Nina out of sight. Fjalar closed the door behind them and picked up the blades he'd just finished, still stunned about how well they'd turned out. He had roughly a week to finish designing the hilt and pommel, giving him an enormous sense of relief.

"All in good time" his voice echoed through the now quiet forge. With excitement and determination glinting in his eyes, Fjalar grabbed a polishing cloth and sat himself at the grindstone.

He was going to make her those swords, even if it meant seven days without sleep.

o~0~O~0~o

"You sure he's in there alone?"

Two sixteen year old girls stood nervously by the door of Helgafjall's forge, checking the street around them to make sure they were alone. Both of them wore their best dresses, and the hair they had usually tied up was undone and flowed freely.

"Yeah, I think I hear him in there" the second girl nodded, before casting a glance down at her body and clothes. "How do I look?"

"He'll love it" the other winked, before adjusting her own breasts and puffing out her chest for further emphasis. Bristling with confidence and excitement, the two girls opened the door and walked inside.

The intense heat of the room sucked the air out of their lungs, making them immediately regret their choice of attire. They had only been in the forge a couple of times, and the sight was still highly unfamiliar in comparison to the seamstress they both worked at. The entire forge was one large chamber, with the back-left corner serving as the hearth and smelter; the back-right serving as storage for weapons. The most noticeable feature however, were the two Dragons resting comfortably directly in front of them. Both of them recognized the black one as Toothless the Night Fury, and Groundsplitter the Hotburple.

"Over here, Bardi. I finished that wedding sword you asked for the other day" The girls both whipped their heads to the source of the noise. To their left sat the boy they were looking for, his back turned and attention not once leaving the sword he held up against the grindstone. "We're running a little low on polish. I was wondering if you had any to-" he raised the blade off the spinning device and turned to face the girls, his facial expression shifting from enjoyment to surprise, and then quickly to frustration. In one smooth motion, he leant the weapon against the grindstone and stood up to face them, his arms crossed and wearing a face that spoke nothing other than mild discomfort.

The two teenager girls couldn't help but stare at Fjalar in hunger and awe. During the nine months he'd been living at Helgafjall, his body had undergone some dramatic and 'attractive' changes. He'd shot up in size, growing to just under six feet tall, and his auburn hair had lengthened so that it ran onto his shoulders. His chest, which was once perfectly straight and toneless- like an actual toothpick- had adopted a slight 'V' shape; showing off his now wider shoulders and defined stomach muscles. Fjalar's face had also transformed in more ways than one. His jawline was sharp and showed off the many whiskers developing around the edges. As well as this, the months of training in the sun had tanned his once pale skin, making it almost impossible to tell he was from the cold north. When Fjalar first arrived at Helgafjall the women there found him cute and enigmatic, but now they considered him as 'drop-dead gorgeous'

Puberty had struck. Puberty had struck _with a vengeance_.

"Here to have your weapon fixed, Lene?" he asked sarcastically, "or what about you, Anne?" it was common knowledge that the two of them never fought, or even held weapons. Fjalar returned to his work, praying that the two girls would leave him alone. Anne and Lene were women comparable to Snotlout: incapable of taking a hint that he isn't interested in them. On a regular basis they would show up at his work, flaunting their bodies in a poor attempt to seduce him.

"Well, we were just chilling with our friends, and chose to pay you a visit" Lene grinned, mouthing the word '_daaamn!_' at her friend. "Y'know, wanted to see you in the forge, workin' the steel" Lene's mentioning of the word 'friends' sent Fjalar's blood boiling. Perhaps the largest reason he disliked the two of them, was because of how much they picked on Katla. Anne and Lene were essentially the ringleaders of the pranks and name calling, and for that he showed them no respect.

"I'm flattered" he rolled his eyes, ignoring their obvious efforts to make their chests larger. The first time Lene and Anne tried to 'get with him', Fjalar nearly suffered from a heart attack. Only after several more attempts did he understand how they saw him nothing more than a conquest. "Well, I don't mean to disappoint, but I'm not forging anything. Just sharpening a sword" the boy's voice was monotonous; as much as he found them annoying and cruel, he didn't want to be outright rude to them. The last thing he wanted was an enemy, or more people who picked on him.

"Nah, its fine. A man like you could never disappoint" Anne winked, striding towards him while swaying her hips. "besides, i'm sure you can make it look interesting" Fjalar merely grunted and shrugged his shoulders, continuing to work on his birthday present for Katla. "Say, those are some pretty nice swords you got there. Is it meant to be black like that?"

"Yep, it's a birthday present" Fjalar nodded, before cringing at what he'd just said. Katla was the only birthday within the month and just about everyone knew her passion for dual-wielding short-swords.

'Thor above, now they're gonna know' he thought to himself in frustration.

"This is for _Katla_, isn't it?" she snorted, instantly linking his reference with the date. "Get real, Fjalar the Mighty, she doesn't deserve something like this!"

"Yeah, you really shouldn't hang out with her" Lene joined in, adding fuel to the boy's inner flames "she's like, a really bad influence on a great guy like you. You should hang out with the gang instead, she's _useless_"

That single word was enough to open the floodgates. He couldn't hold his silence any longer.

Once again, the teenager took the glossy-black weapon off the grindstone and stared at the girl; his gaze turning colder than ice. Fjalar rose out of his chair, never dropping his eyes from Lene. With a calm and clear tone, he spoke.

"Do you remember the story of where I came from? Do you remember why I ran away?" he asked, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side. The girls' confused expression was more than enough of an answer. "I was bullied there, and not a little, a _lot_. For nearly a decade, I was made fun of; pushed about and served as a human punching bag. The girl I once had a crush on completely ignored me, and only cast me a second glance when I saved her life; the only person I considered a friend abandoned me, because if he talked to me, he got bullied himself; my own cousin treated me like vermin, he went out of his way to make my life a living hell"

Fjalar now paced around the forge, emotion rushing through him as he recalled the painful memories of his past. Lene and Anne both watched him with a forceful gaze, now more intent on listening than flirting. As this point, the words were flowing out of his mouth, with no hesitation whatsoever. He wanted them to know.

"And do you know _why_ they did it?" he asked, bending down and absent-mindedly scratching Toothless on the neck. "I screwed up pretty often, yeah. And my sarcasm didn't get me in their good books" he let out a quiet chuckle, "but those were all small motivations, the _real_ reason was because I was _different_. I thought differently, acted differently and looked like anything but a Viking" he stood up and walked towards them, each step quiet and amplifying the intensity.

"So now I come here. I come here and I see Katla" he continued, "I see a girl who is unique, talented and above all, _different_. I see people my age treat her with no respect and dignity, because of her difference- the same way I was treated back on Berk" at this point, the girls no longer stared at the boy, but instead the floor. They didn't dare look at him, not when his words were making so much sense. Fjalar's voice dropped to a whisper, so that they could only just hear him. "Do you now know why I don't hang out with your 'friends'?"

Once again, silence was his only reply.

"If you want me to ever hang out in your little 'group', you will change the way you treat her" he said firmly, unaware that his eyes were brimming with tears, "she is not _useless_, and she is not a bad influence. The day you treat her the way she deserves to be treated, I'll gladly sit at your table, and I'll gladly call you friend"

He sat himself down on the grindstone, and resumed his work as if they weren't there. "But until that day comes…" he stuck out his free hand, and pointed to the door, "there really isn't much for us to talk about"

Lene and Anna were shocked beyond words. For nearly a year, them and their friends have pondered as to why the Dragon Rider ignored them, and spent so much time with Katla instead. But now, the truth had come out, and it made a disturbingly large amount of sense. Lene opened her mouth to retort, but was quickly silenced by her friend, who nudged her and simply shook her head.

"I guess we'll leave then" Anne said quietly, leading her friend out of the forge. They opened the door and stepped outside, the sharp scraping sounds of the grindstone fading away. Without any delay, the two girls took a left and walked down the street, in search of their friends. They had to tell them what he'd said, and discuss whether they should apologize to Katla.

They were so lost in thought; they failed to notice a raven-haired girl their own age, quietly sobbing against the forge wall.

o~0~O~0~o

**Lodin: pronounced as Low-din**

**Nina: Pronounced as Neen-ah**

_**SORRY FOR THE DELAY**_

**These past two weeks have been crammed with exams and school work; needless to say I've been too busy to write. Today is my first day of the holidays, so I'll be posting chapters far more often. As always, thank you so much for reading, thank you for 250 favorites and 350 follows! I never imagined I'd get this far!**

**Peace! :-)**


	10. A Birthday To Remember

Alvin the Treacherous would never tell anyone, but even he was scared.

The leader of the Outcasts- along with his best men- clung helplessly to the walls of a monstrous cavern, which they believed to be the home of all Dragons. After spending several days of navigating their way to the nest, and several more locating an entrance, they had achieved with twenty people what the Hooligans couldn't in nearly three hundred years.

"Keep yer head down, and mouths shut" Alvin growled, leading his team through the maze of caves and tunnels. One of the smaller men behind him carried a rope as they walked, serving as a means of returning to the ship if they ran into trouble. Before anyone could even nod in acknowledgement, an ear-splitting Dragon roar shook the very walls which surrounded them. The echoes of claws scraping and wings flapping grew louder as they moved deeper and deeper inside.

Eventually, Alvin and his group reached a large passageway, where multiple tunnels merged together and led off into one direction. By now, the sounds of individual Dragons had blended together, to form a continuous- and terrifying- snarling sound.

They knew they were getting closer, with each and every step.

"S-Sir, you might wanna-" a man behind him broke the eerie silence, causing Alvin to whip his head back in rage. Before the Outcast leader could reply, he caught sight of what he was on about. A dozen or so yards behind the men stood a Dragon, staring down at them with sickly reptilian eyes. With almost no delay, Alvin and his men recognized the beast as a Monstrous Nightmare, with its blood-red skin, and a dead Boar hanging limply in its elongated jaws. With a collective motion, the outcasts drew their weapons, preparing themselves.

And yet nothing happened.

The Nightmare simply snorted at the men in disinterest, and walked around them. Within seconds, the beast had left the cavern and plodded down the largest tunnel, which lead deeper into the Nest. Alvin and his men did nothing but stare in a mix of confusion and shock, their mouths hanging open.

"What in nine realms just happened?" another Outcast asked incredulously, a hint of fear still in his voice. Alvin wordlessly shook his head, implying to his men that he was just as stunned as they were.

"Keep yer guard up. We're gonna see where that demon's going" he found his voice after several seconds. With great reluctance, his men followed him, their gnarly and over-sized weapons still raised. "We're almost there boys, I can almost-" Alvin couldn't finish his sentence before yet another Dragon roar cut him off. Outcasts such as him had grown used to such sounds, after years of defending their island from the winged beasts, but this roar was _different_ to the rest.

The last time they'd heard a Dragon roar; it had shaken the cave walls and rang their ears. This roar however, was unlike anything any of them had ever heard. The very floor under their feet vibrated, and cracks danced up and down the walls around them. Dust which had been left untouched for generations flew up into the air, clouding their vision. Several of the men even dropped their weapons and covered their ears, with faced white from sheer terror. It didn't take a genius to realize that whatever was up ahead, wasn't something they'd dealt with prior.

From that point onwards, each of their steps was quiet and careful as can be. This mission wasn't aimed at taking the nest by force. Alvin possessed a decent intelligence, and knew that if he wanted to defeat the Dragons, he had to know what they were up against.

"We're here" Alvin's face twisted into a grin. The sight before him was as terrifying as it was intriguing. Right in front of them, lay the heart of the nest, in all its glory. The entire chamber was massive in size; easily triple the size of the room they were previously in. Hundreds upon hundreds of Dragons hugged the walls, all of them seemingly oblivious to the humans below them. At the very center of the chamber was a pit, giant in size and filled with a red smoke. The Outcasts watched in fascination as the Dragons dropped a range of dead animals into the hole.

"They ain't eatin' any of it" An Outcast to Alvin's left breathed out, essentially speaking their thoughts. All of them had wondered what the beasts did after their raids, but none of them expected the food to go to waste. All eyes were soon on a lone Gronkle, who buzzed in and hovered over the pit. With its tongue lolling about and eyes fixated on some random spot on the wall, the Dragon regurgitated half a fish, letting it slide out of its mouth. After several seconds of free-fall, the fish vanished in the smoke, and the Gronkle turned around to leave.

Before the Dragon could move more than a yard, _something_ took it.

Roars of disbelief and gasps of shock filled the cavern, as a pair of enormous jaws erupted from the mist, and swallowed the plump Dragon as if it were a berry. Alvin could hear many of his men muttering hopeless prayers to the Gods, and watched as the Dragons cowered in fear while the beast eyed them with hunger. Everything he saw now clicked into place, this… _thing_, was their queen. With a rumbling sniff, and a reverberating growl, the monster retreated to the red mist, having not noticed the Outcasts.

Alvin was moments from speaking, when a voice hammered into his skull, sending him to his knees and clutching his ears in shock.

**::MORE. BRING ME MORE::**

The voice was unlike anything he'd ever heard. He could understand what it was saying, but at the same time, he couldn't actually hear it. It reminded him of reading off paper: he could hear the words in his head, but nobody was actually speaking aloud. Alvin cast a quick glance at his me, by the looks of disbelief on their faces; they'd heard the voice also. The Dragons which situated themselves in the cavern took flight, leaving through a large hole in the ceiling.

"That… That's the Queen Dragon" an Outcast whimpered,

"It's fuckin' massive!" another joined in; his face clammy with sweat and eyes wide with terror.

"It… _talks_" all twenty of Alvin's men turned to face the men who spoke at the very back of the crowd. The man was one of the younger people to join on this mission, barely twenty winters old. "I mean, didn't you all hear that? It told the beasts to bring it more food. It must control them or some shit like that" several people nodded in agreement, before looking back at Alvin. The leader of the Outcasts held his face firm, determined not to show fear in front of those who loyally followed him.

"We've seen what we're up against now" he grunted, dusting his axe off from when he dropped it. "Get back to the ships. We've got some work to do"

o~0~O~0~o

'So this is what a heart attack feels like' Fjalar thought jauntily as he sat amongst the grass in the clearing. For the past hour, the boy had tried to lower his heart rate, and with no avail. Today was the day, the day he'd been waiting for so long.

It was Katla's birthday.

"**Don't forget to breathe, Hiccup"** Toothless snorted at his friend's nervousness in amusement. Like several other Dragons, the Night Fury was well aware of his companion's attraction to the fiery girl, and knew how much she meant to him.

"I must have forgotten something, did I forget something?" he asked out loud, standing up and searching his bag for what he packed. "Charcoal and paper… Check. New saddle… Yeah, that's here. Food… Check. Swords! Oh my Thor, I've lost them haven't I?" Like a madman, Fjalar scrambled about the patch of short grass, searching for his freshly made weapons. Ever since their creation, just over a week ago, the blacksmith had worked tirelessly on them, sharpening and polishing them to perfection. Fjalar looked down at his waist, where the distinctive sound of metal clinking together could be heard. Within a second's delay, he remembered that he'd strapped him to his belt. "You've got to be kidding me" he moaned, burying his head in his hands. "I'm loosing my mind, why am I so nervous, Toothless?"

"**Because you want to mate with her"** was his eloquent response, his black and scaly face looking smug as ever.

"Okay Fjalar, just calm down and take it easy" he took large gulps of air, and did his best to steel his nerves. "It's just Katla, why am I getting so worked up about this?" The midday sun and cool breeze helped in calming him down, and after a few minutes he was back sitting on the grass. He hadn't seen Katla at all that day; he'd woken up before sunrise to prepare for her, and left a note for her to meet him at the clearing around midday. "I'm gonna give her the swords, then take her on a flight. She'll love it, and then I'll do a nice drawing of her to top off a perfect day" His speech of self motivation was cut off but Toothless, who once again warbled happily at his rider.

"**Speak of the devil"** he offered his classic 'Toothless' grin, and pointed to the edge of forest, where a black haired girl could be seen running over. With a deep breath, he hid the swords in his pack and approached her, beaming widely with his arms outstretched.

"Well if it isn't the birthday girl, gracing me with her presence!" he laughed, pulling Katla into a hug. Fjalar noticed that her classic smell of leather and iron had been replaced with lavender and cotton, a good sign she'd received some new soaps. Her clothes were also new; while she still wore her typical blue tunic and brown leggings, they were obviously fresh and very well-made.

"Thank you thank you" she grinned, twirling around on the spot, showing off her new attire. "How do the new clothes suit me?"

"Really good" he nodded in agreement, "never the local seamstress was capable of work like this"

"She isn't, she didn't make it for me" before Fjalar could raise his eyebrow in confusion, Katla answered the unspoken question; "_Lene_ and _Anne_ did this!"

Fjalar's breath caught in his throat, as he examined the valuable cotton. It was clear to him now, that the two hormonal girls had listened to him, and were trying to earn Katla's forgiveness. The fact that he influenced two people his age shocked him, and left him with a clumsy smile upon his face.

"That's awesome! I knew they'd see how good a person you are, and of all days" he tried to bluff his way around her comment, but Katla knew the truth. She was outside the forge when he talked to them about her, and to say she was touched would have been a considerable understatement.

_Never_ before in her life, had someone stood up and defended her so honestly, and with no apparent intention other than to be a good person. What made it more incredible, was the way he denied it ever happening. She was fully aware the only reason Lene and Anna made her the clothes, was because of Fjalar's little 'chat' with them. Katla remembered the whole thing like it was yesterday; how she simply broke down in emotion when they left, shocked and heart-filled by the boy she called a best and only friend.

"Yeah, I know right" she replied with equal joy. "Today's easily been the best birthday yet"

'Probably because you're here' she mentally added, nearly blushing at her own comment.

"How's it comparing to _my_ sixteenth?" Fjalar shot his friend a wry grin, and burst into laughter as her jaw dropped.

Nobody would _ever_ forget the day Fjalar turned sixteen. It had been two days since the Skrill made an appearance, and was fought back by the boy and his Night Fury. His act of heroics only added more motivation to celebrate, and resulted in one of the loudest and craziest parties in Helgafjall memory. The whole day was filled with Fjalar swimming in delicious treats and exotic gifts, along with Toothless being showered in fish- quite literally at some points. After that, the entire town took to the hall, and drowned themselves in ale and whatever alcohol-related beverage they could get their hands on. Sven even insisted on challenging Toothless to a wine-drinking competition.

And he _won_.

"Oh no no no no" Katla giggled, waving her hands out like she was turning down a drink, "My day's been good, but not _that_ good. Gods above, I'll never forget how much stuff got broken"

"That makes two of us" Fjalar cackled, shaking his head at the memory, "Thor almighty, I wish I could remember half of it though" The duo continued to let their conversation steer more and more off track, until the boy remembered the whole reason he dragged her out here.

"You really didn't have to buy me presents!" Katla scoffed, watching her friends open her pack and reach for something.

"Yeah I know" he replied, before turning to her and smiling with a small shrug, "but I wanted to, you deserved one" before Katla could argue why she deserved a present, when he'd been the one always there for her, he continued to talk. "Plus…" he yanked out a pair of identical swords, concealed in their black-leather sheathes, "one warrior I happen to know, is in dire need of some new swords" Katla stared at the swords, then back at her friend.

"… I knew it!" she gasped, running up to Fjalar and admiring the craftsmanship, without even taking it from his hands of unsheathing it. "I just knew those plans were suspicious, when I saw them"

"Yeah, ya got me" he grinned sheepishly, raising his hands in self-defense, before offering both of them to their new owner. Katla took the gifts with her most sincere thanks, and almost immediately realized an issue.

"This is a joke, isn't it?" her eyebrow shot up, and gently tossed the weapons up and down in the air, like they were sticks. "What's really in here? These are far too light to be real"

"Ah, I figured you'd say that" Fjalar remained confident and smug, aware she knew very little about Gronkle Iron, let alone 'Nightshade Steel'. "Why don't you take a closer look at them?" Katla stared oddly at Fjalar, but drew the weapons out of trust.

Only for her jaw to fall positively open.

Katla's new swords had become black mirrors, over the course of the week. When the weapons first came out of the forge, they were shiny and overall excellent. _Now_, on the other hand, they almost seemed to bend the very light around it. The shorts words were both engraved with beautiful runes, all of which Katla found stunning to look at.

"I also engraved a little something-" he pointed to where the hilt and blade met, where her family quote was, "-right there, hope you like it" he added sheepishly.

"This…" Katla was lost for words; too shocked to even speak. Even if these swords weren't pitch black and made of an exotic material, the engravings and shape along would have taken countless attempts and hundreds of hours of preparation. "You made this, _for me?_" the last part of her sentence squeaked out like a terror being trodden on.

"I sure did" he nodded, proud to have impressed her, "so… wait, you like it right?"

"Fjalar, this is unbelievable" she said softly, swinging her new weapons about with and speed and ease she'd never thought possible. "What the Hel is this material? Why's it so light?"

"Those, were the first weapons made from a new metal" he gestured to the swords, "I call it Nightshade Steel. Lighter and stronger than anything else" The drawings of her swords and the 'Nightshade Steel' scribbled all over it clicked into place. With an ear-to-ear grin, she looked up from her new toys.

"Stronger, you say?" With almost no delay, she placed her left weapon on the floor, before unsheathing her dagger. In a rapid motion, he brought the 'Nightshade Steel' sword down on the dagger, and watched as it cleaved the tiny iron weapon in two. "Oh my gods, this is incredible" she breathed, jumping into Fjalar's arms with a tight embrace. "I can't thank you enough for this, I love it!"

"The pleasure's all mine, Katla" he beamed, glad to have impressed her, "and the presents don't stop there, I'm afraid"

"You're kidding me" she laughed, pulling away from him with her mouth hanging loose, "now you're just spoiling me, Fjalar"

"Maybe, maybe not" he shrugged, turning back to his bag and pulling out another item. Katla stared at the object in curiosity, not quite understanding what it was. "Toothless, can you come here?" The obsidian-black Dragon bounded over to his companion, equally excited to see how Fjalar's 'mate-to-be' would react.

"What is it?" she asked, sheathing her weapons and walking closer to Toothless. Upon further examination, Katla recognized the item in his hands as a saddle- roughly half the size of the one on his Dragon. The girl's excitement soon dissolved into confusion. "A… Saddle?"

"Yup, made it a few days ago" with a small clicking sound, Fjalar attached the new saddle to the back of his current seat, giving it more than enough room for two people on Toothless' back. "How's it looking?"

"I still don't understand" Katla frowned, wondering how his new saddle was a present to her. Fjalar attached the bag onto Toothless, and promptly jumped on. The girl continued to stare at her friend in confusion, until she noticed how the new saddle created enough room for two.

"Are you just gonna stand there like a lemon, or are you gonna hop on?" he smirked, patting the saddle which rested behind him. For the umpteenth time that day, Katla's jaw fell slack, as realization slapped her across the face.

"No bloody way" she gasped, noticing the wicked grin on the Night Fury.

"Yes way" Fjalar retorted, "Wanna be the second person to ever ride a Dragon?" Katla was incapable of speaking, so the best she could manage was a rapid and wordless nod. "Then let's get going!"

With a little help from Toothless and his rider, Katla jumped aboard and gripped tightly onto her friend. Fjalar blushed slightly as she held him in a 'bear hug' position. She was… larger in the front than he anticipated, and ignited a torrent of scenarios which refused to leave him.

"So you uh, ready to go?" he asked, double checking the straps and harnesses which kept her to the newly made saddle.

"As ready as I'll ever be" she laughed, a mix of exhilaration and nervousness churning in her stomach. Fjalar whispered something into his Dragon's ear, and as carefully possible, the trio left the ground.

"I've always wanted to show somebody what it's like to be up in the sky. I'm glad you're the first" he said as Toothless continued to gain altitude, leaving the tree line below him. Katla peered over the edge of the Night Fury and stared down at the grass below her, which was quickly leaving her.

"Well, I just learnt that I'm afraid of heights" she stammered, tightening her grip on Fjalar, "who could have guessed?" Once Toothless had reached a suitable height, his rider clicked his tail fin into the 'fly' position, they began to move forward.

"It's normal, Katla. Toothless is going nice and slow for us" he soothed, honestly having no idea if her fears were normal. Their speed gradually increased; until the Night Fury was traveling at a rate he could consider average. "See? Nothin' to be afraid of!"

"Y-Yeah, I guess so" she nervously chuckled, watching below as the terrain below changed from forestland to ocean- symbolizing their departure from Helgafjall. "How far have you gone off the island?"

"Pretty damn far" he shrugged, "I love exploring, so Toothless and I will always go out looking for something new"

"That's awesome. I've always loved the idea of traveling" Katla smirked. _Toothless_ on the other hand, was far less impressed, and was growing bored with the conversation and severe lack of 'suicidal stunts'.

"**Females love acts of courage"** he rumbled, rolling his eyes. **"If you wish to mate with her, we must display our fearlessness"** Fjalar grew aware of his Dragon trying to talk, and the mischievous look in his eyes was a dead giveaway of what he was planning.

"Oh shi-" Toothless tucked in his massive wings, and sent the three straight down at blinding speeds. It took a full second for Katla to realize what was going on, and start screaming in terror. Her very first flight had changed so quickly in a moments notice, and her brain hardly had the time to catch up. "_Toothless_!" Fjalar roared over his friend's yelling and the deafening wind, "what the Hel are you doing?! This was meant to be a gentle ride!"

"**See? She is yelling in excitement! The female will love this-"** Toothless began to barrel roll, as the raging ocean came up to greet them.

"Oh thank you for nothing, you useless reptile" Fjalar muttered, not at all impressed by his best friend's immature display of skills on the one day that really mattered.

"Make him stop, for the love of Thor!" Katla howled, gripping her friend so hard she feared blood may be drawn. "Bad Dragon, very bad Dragon!" At the last possible minute, Toothless opened his wings and pulled out of the dive, leveling out over the sea.

"Why the Hel did you do that, bud?" Fjalar scolded, fearing he may have given Katla the fright of her life. "This is her first time in the air, and I don't think she'd appreciate being killed-"

"That was… Odin's ghost!" she laughed, loosening her grip on Fjalar and running her hands through her lengthy hair, "can we do that one more time?" the boy stared at her like she'd grown a second head.

"Wait, what?" he asked incredulously, "you mean that crazy stunt?"

"**Told you so"** Toothless winked at his rider, having proven his theory correct.

"Yeah! I just need a bit of a warning next time" she nodded, the visible excitement glinting in her amber eyes. Fjalar knew that look all too well; he'd felt the way she did after his first flight. She'd gotten a taste of the adrenalin, and already wanted more.

"O-Okay then" he shared a look at his Night Fury, grins spreading across both their faces, "you sure you wanna do this? Once he starts, I don't think he'll stop"

"If you can do it, I can" she smirked, wrapping her arms around his shoulder. Fjalar opened his mouth to argue, but for once decided not to. Actions spoke far louder than words.

"Righty-oh, Toothless you wanna try that move we've been working on?" The Dragon snorted in affirmation, and shot into the sky. Within seconds, the trio went from cruising over the ocean to hurtling into the sky at an almost vertical angle.

"This is amazing!" she hollered, letting go with one hand and extending it out. "Why has nobody else done this before?"

"Beats me" he replied, his voice straining over the howling winds. "And if you think this is impressive, wait and see!" their speed continued to grow, and eventually they left the cloud line far behind them.

"Wait and see what?"

"_This!_ Now bud!" Fjalar gave his best friend a gentle pat on his neck, signifying the beginning of their 'stunt'. With one final push of the wings, the Night Fury tucked in his limbs and let their momentum carry them through the air like an arrow-head. "Katla, might wanna hold on to your saddle" Fjalar unhooked his harness, and removed his feet from the pedal control.

"We're loosing speed!" she yelled, looking behind her to see the clouds slowing their retreat.

"That we are" he chuckled. Katla stared in disbelief as Fjalar brought his legs up to the saddle, so that he was crouching atop his Dragon. When their speed finally hit zero, he jumped off completely. "Now the real fun begins!"

It was almost as if time had stopped for the three, while they hung suspended in the afternoon sky. Katla blinked dumbly at Fjalar, who was now several yards in front of his Dragon and laughing at the astonishment on her face. Gravity kicked in, and without any form of lift, they began their direct route straight down.

"_You're senseless!_" she screamed, feeling her stomach rise into her throat as she plunged back to Midgard.

"Yeah, probably" he shrugged casually; free-falling next to her and the Night Fury. It wasn't long before Katla was lost in the moment, her hands high above her head and cheering in unrestrained bliss.

During her descent to the sea, she took a moment to admire Fjalar, who was spinning in the air and beaming madly at his Dragon. Katla knew that he was the reason her sixteenth birthday had been such a success; everything from his stunning gifts to the smile he gave her. Trjonn and his wife often teased her about how she liked him, but only now did it fully occur to her of just how strongly she felt for him. Fjalar was everything a girl her age could want: funny, generous and interesting. He could've arrived at Helgafjall, and picked any of the girls to be with, and yet he spent almost all his time with Katla.

And that made her feel very special indeed.

After close to a minute of free falling, Fjalar angled himself back onto Toothless' saddle and pulled out of the dive, earning a small applause from Katla.

"Congratulations, I'm now certain you've lost your mind" she said rather cheerfully, resuming the original position with her arms snaked around him. From then on, their ride adopted a much gentler tone; focusing more on savoring the views and atmosphere, instead of insane flips and twirls.

"Have a look," he smiled after a while of silence, pointing over in the distance, where Helgafjall could be seen glowing in the afternoon light. "You can already see everyone getting ready for Nattmal"

"It's incredible up here" she breathed, admiring the village she'd lived in since birth from a view she'd never thought possible. Katla remembered back to the very first time she'd seen Toothless and Fjalar in the air; how she wished for the day to come, that she too would take to the skies and feel what it's like to be _truly_ free.

'I'm living the dream' she thought to herself, shaking her head in disbelief and smiling. Fjalar noticed Katla daydreaming, and coughed softly to re-gain her attention.

"I've got uh… some food in my bag. Do you wanna, y'know, have Nattmal at a place I know?" he asked anxiously, "It's on a nearby island, a few minutes from here"

"I'd like that" she nodded, feeling her stomach rumble at the mentioning of food. Toothless made a banking turn away from Helgafjall, and made his way towards a smaller island in the distance. "I don't think I can thank you enough for this, Fjalar. You and Toothless have easily made this the best birthday yet"

"It's fine Katla" he reddened at the girl's compliments, "you helped make my last birthday the best one yet, so it's only fair that I did the same to you"

"Yeah, but nothing like this" she argued, "Now I feel bad for only giving you one gift"

"The new boots you got me were excellent!" he said, watching their destination grow larger. "Just consider this all one big gift, so that makes us even" Katla merely rolled her eyes, knowing Ragnarok would occur before Fjalar lost an argument.

o~0~O~0~o

Ruffnut stared at the piece of paper in her hands with a concentration rarely seen by her. Unlike her brother, the Thorston girl actually knew to read yet chose to not show it too often. Astrid sat opposite her in the forest, doing her best to catch her friend's reaction while she literally read her fate.

"The only man in combat, to ever beat you" she mumbled, not quite believing what she was reading. "And you're sure these things work?"

"Gobber seemed to think so, plus my mom's also done this and she said it worked" Astrid shrugged. Ruffnut handed the paper back to her and lay back on the grass they rested on.

"Well by the sounds of it, you've got yourself quite the catch" she snorted, resuming her normal self. "He sounds like some war hero, plus he can beat you in a fight, and that's something not many people can do"

"Yeah, I guess" she shrugged, Ruffnut's doubt having rubbed off on her. "I'm still trying to figure out who it could be. No offense to you lot, but none of you can beat me in the ring"

"None taken and I dunno. It could be someone from another tribe" Ruffnut suggested, knowing there were plenty of incredible fighters from the Bog Burglars or Ugly Thugs.

"I never want to leave Berk" Astrid countered, "If I fell for an outsider, I'd have to move away" her friend on the other hand, wasn't listening. She was too focused on one particular line.

"_He shall never, love you back_" she echoed, sending a chill through Astrid's spine. "That's the part I can't get over"

"Me too" Astrid nodded solemnly, "Gobber told me these 'fates' aren't written in stone, meaning I could possibly change it with my actions"

"All you gotta do is find the first guy to beat you, and make him like you. How hard can that be for the famous Astrid Hofferson!" Ruffnut rolled her eyes, throwing her head back in the grass and trying to sleep. The blond Shield-Maiden merely rolled her eyes and got up in search of food.

Unknown to her, Snotlout had heard the entire conversation, his face distorting into a devilish smirk.

o~0~O~0~o

Several more minutes passed until the three of them landed safely at the island. Unlike Helgafjall, this location was very small; harboring only a spit of grass and a handful of coastal trees. It was clear to Katla that Fjalar had spent some time here before, having noticed the hammock tied between two trees and a burnt patch where Toothless most likely rested.

"I'll usually hang around here whenever I want to draw, or have a quiet meal" Fjalar said, having noticed Katla's admiration of the place.

"I can see why" she breathed, taking off her boots and feeling the cool sand sink in between her toes. "It's so peaceful here. Nothing at all like home" her friend trailed several steps behind her, carrying his large pack. With a small grunt, he lowered it onto the grass and pulled out a fur mat.

"Looks like we'll catch the sun set" he held his hand above his eyes and stared out over the sapphire ocean, where the gleaming sun was beginning it's decent under the horizon. The two of them both collapsed onto the fur mat, their limbs exhausted from flying for such a long time.

"I'm knackered. Who could have guessed sitting on a Dragon could be such an effort" Katla rolled her shoulders with effort, feeling the joints in her neck and back cracking. "Can't imagine how Toothless is feelin'"

"He may complain a lot, but Toothless is a tough one" Fjalar joked, scratching his best friend around the neck while the Dragon simply snorted. "Night Furies are stronger than they look, he could probably hold ten of us in the air" Toothless' head shot up high in pride, staring off into the distance for superfluous drama.

"Aaand now you've fueled his ego" Katla giggled, only to be given an eye roll from the Dragon before he waddled into the sea to cool off. "He really is one of a kind, isn't he?"

"Couldn't agree more" Fjalar grinned, offering some Yak jerky and bread to his friend. "Sorry if it isn't a banquet or anything. Couldn't fit all that much in my bag"

"Nah it's okay. I'm not that hungry, especially if Toothless is gonna try any more tricks on the way back" she answered.

"I'm sure he'll behave himself on the way home" he said, before raising his voice so that his Dragon could hear. "_Ain't that right_, Toothless?" The Night Fury merely threw the pair of humans a gummy smile, and plunged back into the foaming water.

Fjalar and Katla continued to relax and eat, until the daytime became history and the moon laid suspended high in the starry sky. Toothless had finished his swim, and lit a bonfire where they were previously eating, granting all three of them some warmth and light. Katla lay comfortably on the hammock, swinging back and forth, while Fjalar sat cross legged on the floor, rubbing his Dragon while he napped.

"I honestly don't think I can thank you enough for this, Fjalar" Katla said affectionately, smiling up at the sky while the hammock gently swayed from left to right. "I mean sure, Trjonn and his family have always tried to make my birthday memorable, but nothing at all like this" she extended out her hands, in reference to the island and Toothless.

"You're exaggerating this Katla" Fjalar shrugged her compliment off, as if what he'd done wasn't special. "Plus, I kinda owe you this"

"You _owe _me this?" she gawked at him, standing up off the hammock and sitting next to him. "Name one thing I've done to deserve a birthday as good as this!"

"You've been there for me" he said simply, which shut her up almost instantly. Katla almost wanted to yell at the boy; the hypocrisy was incredible. "You were the first person my age I met, after leaving Berk. You were nice to me, you helped explain to the Free Folk that I was no harm, and without you I doubt I'd still be here" Fjalar shrugged meekly, "I never thanked you for all that, so consider this my way of doing so"

"I could say the exact same for you, bud" she smiled, touched by how he felt like he needed to do this. "You're my first friend, the first person to talk to me and listen. You haven't bullied me or ignored me"

Fjalar realized how close Katla's face was to his, and he could feel his heart rate begin to climb. The warm glow of the fire illuminated her face and seemed to set her silky black hair on fire. Her warm amber eyes and cute lips which curved at the edges caught his attention and reminded him of just how beautiful she was. He was now seriously beginning to weigh the options up; whether or not she liked him the way he liked her.

"I'm sure any guy would do the same, if they found you" he commented, his voice an octave lower than he intended. "What those other teenagers do to you is wrong and awful, but they are right about one thing; you truly are unique"

'Oh my Thor, that sounded so much better in my head' Fjalar could feel himself blush as his cheesy comment, but Katla didn't seem to notice, and blushed an even darker shade of red. 'All my life I've done things based on facts and chances, like Fishlegs. About time I went off my gut'

"I like you a lot, Katla. I really do" his eyes didn't leave hers, as he continued to fly completely in the dark. Katla's face moved closer, and so did his. The last time they had been at this point was nearly a year ago: the very first day Fjalar- or Hiccup- arrived at Helgafjall.

"Well… Maybe you should prove it to me" she whispered, having turned her body to face him completely. Katla couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this nervous. Her heart and mind were flooded with nervousness and excitement, having steadily built up over the course of the day. With a spike of confidence that even surprised him, Fjalar spoke.

"Oh, I plan to" he answered smoothly, gently cupping her cheek with a single hand. "And _this_ time, Sven isn't gonna stop me"

'I am not Hiccup the Useless'

And without any further words, his lips met hers, and any remaining attraction to Astrid Hofferson abandoned him forever.

_**Do YOU want to be a BETA Reader?**_

**Well, now you can! Anybody interested in helping me/giving advice while i write, please send me a message and i'll gladly accept you! Personally i'd love "Kitty Art" to be a Beta Reader, seeing how awesome of a fan he/she is :)**

**Once again, thank you so much for the reviews and support, i'm not much of a romantic guy, so writing this chapter was hard as ****. Stay tuned for Chapter 11, which i expect to finish around Oct 10th or sooner. Have a good day!**

**Peace! :-)**


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